Blizzard No Longer Selling Loot Boxes In Overwatch After August 30th

Blizzard will discontinue the sale of Overwatch loot boxes on August 30th, according to a blog post. The date corresponds with the conclusion of the newly published Anniversary Remix Vol. 3 event in the game. After the 30th, gamers will still be able to win free loot boxes, according to Blizzard. Additionally, before the release of Overwatch 2 on October 4th, the game will immediately unlock any loot boxes in a player's inventory. Because the new game will be replacing Overwatch, players will not lose any skins or other cosmetics before the transition.

Call of Duty Black Ops 4 Now Has Loot Boxes

In what really shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone, loot boxes have been added to Call of Duty Black Ops 4. 

Called Reserve Crates, each loot box is similar to others in that it contains cosmetic items like weapon skins. You can buy crates for 200 COD points, either with in-game currency purchased with cash or you can earn one for every two hours of play in multiplayer or Blackout.

ESRB Announces New Label From Games With In Game Purchases

The ESRB has announced that it will soon put a new label on physical games that feature a variety of paid in-game purchases, including loot boxes, season passes, and DLC. In addition, the game-ratings organization has launched a new site designed to inform parents about in-game purchases.

An update on in-game purchases from your friends at ESRB: pic.twitter.com/pqmfJe0Ywz

— ESRB (@ESRBRatings) February 27, 2018

The ESA Responds To Hawaii's Proposed Bills On Loot Boxes

The state of Hawaii has proposed legislation that would liken loot boxs in video games to gambling in terms of the level of "psychological, addictive, and financial risks."

The first pair of bills aims to prevent the sale of games that randomize digital rewards to consumers under the age of 21, while the second pair of bills would require that publishers disclose probability rates of obtaining certain items. This legislation has the potential to greatly affect games across the industry, ranging from free-to-play titles all the way up to full-retail juggernauts like Overwatch, Destiny 2, and Star Wars: Battlefront II. The Entertainment Software Association responded to this proposed legislation through a statement provided to GameIndustry.biz. In the response, the ESA spokesperson affirmed its commitment to industry self-regulation.

"As an industry, we take our responsibility to consumers very seriously and continually work to create greater awareness and transparency about the wide range of in-game experiences," the spokesperson told the outlet. "We strongly believe that the industry's robust, self-regulatory efforts remain the most effective way to address these important issues, and that system has a proven and long record of doing so. Some consumers and parents may have questions about how loot boxes work, and ESA has demonstrated a commitment to providing information to guide consumers, especially parents, in their purchase decisions."

Another Hawaii state representative Sean Quinlan came out in support of Lee's proposed bills, saying that this legislation differs from past attempts to regulate violence in video games in that it wouldn't affect the content in games, only a specific mechanism by which content is delivered. "If even mature and intelligent adults are falling victim to these mechanisms, how are kids expected to respond?" Quinlan told GameIndustry.biz.

Apple Requires Disclosure Of Loot Box Odds In Apps

As the controversy of loot boxes and gambling continues, Apple is implementing a new requirement to every app submitted that has randomized items for purchase. If you go to the developer review guidelines, it now lists the following: "Apps offering “loot boxes” or other mechanisms that provide randomized virtual items for purchase must disclose the odds of receiving each type of item to customers prior to purchase." This means you should know the risk you're taking before you press the purchase button. Earlier in the year there was a big controversy with how EA used loot boxes in Star Wars: Battlefront II. Thoughts ?

Take-Two President Says Lootboxes Aren’t Gambling

Take-Two president Karl Slatoff has given her two cents on the lootbox controversy happening around the industry. "The whole gambling regulator thing, we don't view that thing as gambling," Slatoff said. "Our view is the same as the ESA statement, for the most part. So that's going to play its course." Lootboxes have become unpopular among the gaming community and, more alarmingly for companies like Take-Two, are being pointed to as harbingers of an easy avenue for gambling by local and federal governments both internationally and abroad. "In terms of the consumer noise you hear in the market right now, for me it's really all about content. It's about over-delivering on content," said Slatoff. "You can't force the consumer to do anything." Thoughts ?