The Youth Protection Commission, part of the German State Media Authority, are considering banning loot boxes with a decision as early as this March.
A study by the University of Hamburg found that more and more video games include an element of gambling, and also researched business models and industry sales figures, concluding that a few players generate a vast portion of the revenue, “a typical feature of gambling markets.”
The Commission is threatening to ban all games that include loot boxes or gambling elements. The chairman of the Youth Protection Commission, Wolfgang Kreißig, stated that it was “conceivable” that loot boxes already violate existing regulations.
Starman
Good. Just go back to selling items individually. Problem solved. Sure they won’t make as much money but it’s far better than the “you have a 0.01% chance of getting the item you want” system. They may even make more as players like me who refuse to buy loot boxes would probably spend a couple of pound on a specific item I liked.
MrYd
You can’t really believe that, can you?
If “a few players” are “generating a vast portion of the revenue”, a few people spending a couple of quid on some things isn’t going to make up for that.
Which would probably end up with publishers trying to find some way to make up that loss by charging everyone more.
So not really a good thing, is it? A few idiots want to spend loads and subsidise the rest of us? I’m happy with that. Cheaper games for me.
Obviously, there have been some cases where they seem to think everyone is one of those idiots. But that’s not working out too well for them lately.
leeroye
“So not really a good thing, is it? A few idiots want to spend loads and subsidise the rest of us? I’m happy with that. Cheaper games for me.”
Are games with loot boxes in them any cheaper? Do they not still have season pass, silver gold editions etc? What abut games where progress is broken because of them. Loot boxes are a cancer on gaming. The sooner they are gone the better.
These whales are not subsiding anything. They are just making the AAA publishers to make obscene amounts of profit.
MrYd
There are very few games where anything is broken because lootboxes are necessary.
And games are effectively cheaper these days. Not a huge difference in price compared to 25 years ago, when you really should be paying an extra £30 or £40 due to inflation. (And yes, they’re probably selling a lot more, but cost a lot more to develop these days, so that probably cancels out)
Get rid of lootboxes, and they’ll want the money from somewhere else, with unnecessary DLC probably. Look at the latest Assassin’s Creed game. Just finished it last night. It just suddenly ends having set up the DLC. (Or “the last part of the game”, as it would have been called in the past). We want more of that instead?
No, let’s have the whales keep paying.
leeroye
The more they get away with the more they will force these things in. BF2 was just a test, more and more games will impliment these systems if they feel they can get away with it.
Most of these loot boxes are found in AAA games that make masses of cash. You cant tell me that these plublishers need more cash from loot boxes. Your just buying into the bullshit they put out there to justify their existence.
Was FIFA not a profitable game for 10 years it was released prior to ultimate team. Hell EA even admitted that removing paid loot boxes from BF2 would not affect profit.
Starman
It’s just a potential outcome of a hypothetical scenario. Not a case of believing it or not. Chill your pants.
Tony Cawley
The problem here is, if you remove this revenue stream, what’s it going to get replaced with?
ron_mcphatty
Hippety hop?
Also, for clarity, are they planning to ban the sale of these games or block the online portion of the games themselves? I’m sure the violence ratings crackdown in Australia had some positive social effect but isn’t the import market there thriving as a result?
Dazbobaby
Personally I think an end to loot boxes can only be a good thing, they introduce gambling to kids, though it may seem tiny or innocuous, it’s not. Gambling is gambling and seeds are being sown.
The only problem with their removal will be a hike in prices of games and or DLC. Or better yet, just add an option to buy a specific item.
The publishers, specifically those of AAA titles, are large companies with shareholders, and they always want their premiums, so a balance needs to be made. But that’s not our problem.
Tuffcub
It will just got back to Season Passes.
Crazy_Del
I am in two minds about this. First off all Kudos to Germany. It is gambling unless it has an age restriction to 18 then I think loot boxes is okay just as long there isn’t real money involved!!!
I hated fifa nut fans that spend 500 Euros for pack openings stream! And I know I can’t afford that or my wife would kill me!
Whatever happened to actually playing the game to earn in-game credits?!?!? Because that is what I want and not real money involved!
Just remove PayPal, exchange this amount X for the price of X
In game currency is fine so you can actually use it to spend it from playing the bloody game!
RANT over!
Nera Eris
Well, its known without micro transactions it’ll hardly hurt the likes of EA or Activision has the triple AAA industry obviously bucking makes enough revenue already. They’ve ruined Battlefront II or Shadow of War with those loot boxes. No need for them at all. Its just pure greed.