Dutch law lootboxes cost us an upcoming game

Our very own law around loot boxes means bad news for people who have been waiting for the game Diablo Immortal for a while.

It may be that you have been waiting for the game Diablo Immortal since 2018: that’s when it was announced. Now, four years later, the MMO is finally scheduled for June 2 this year. So it’s high time to download the free game on Android, iOS or Windows. At least, if you’re reading this, there’s a good chance this isn’t possible at all.

Lootboxes cost us Diablo Immortal

Since Diablo Immortal is free, part of the revenue model will come from loot boxes. Do you remember? Lootboxes are ‘packs’ that you buy containing items for the game, which are then completely randomly selected. So you can get very good items, but also come out almost empty handed. There are also sometimes items for which you always have to gamble, making it addictive to buy a lot of loot boxes to see if the item is there. Dutch and Belgian law have determined that this is too much like gambling. Everything around loot boxes is therefore blocked in our country, making Diablo Immortal from Activision Blizzard not available here. The open beta, which was already available, is also being drilled through our noses.

Solution?

There doesn’t seem to be a solution: the loot box system makes it seem like we’re just not getting Diablo Immortal. Other games, e.g. World of Tanks, also had issues with loot boxes here. Their solution was to guarantee a standard item, so that the loot box in essence came ‘free’ with that item. However, Belgium did not fall for that, but perhaps a system like this can reach the Netherlands. (via Eurogamer)