Psyonix has announced that later this year it will be removing randomised loot boxes from its massively popular car soccer sensation, Rocket League.
This surprise change in direction was confirmed today via an update from the developers over on the official Rocket League blog. It reads:
“Here at Psyonix, and Epic Games as a whole, we are dedicated to creating the best possible experience for our players all over the world. In pursuit of that goal, later this year we will remove all paid, randomized Crates from Rocket League, replacing them with a system that shows the exact items you’re buying in advance.”
Back in January Epic’s flagship money maker Fortnite made a similar move. The battle royale shooter had previously sold Llamas stashed with random loot but now players can see the contents of each one before they are purchased.
It seems likely that Psyonix will replicate this system – that, or create another fair way of distributing rewards via Crates. They’re still technically loot crates though the way they’ll work will be markedly different.
Currently, players can unlock chests but need to purchase keys to unlock them. Rocket League displays all of the items that potentially drop from certain Crates though this is random and the drop rate for individual items isn’t made known to the player.
While some will see this as a new, experimental way for Epic to monetise Rocket League, the more cynical among you will cite the ongoing debate surrounding loot boxes.
Their random nature have led many to label them as a soft form of gambling as players put in money hoping to get rare cosmetic items for their in-game characters.
What’s particularly worrying about this issue is that games like Fortnite and Rocket League are aimed at younger audiences. This has led to certain outspoken figures in the games industry to deem the practice of selling loot boxes as not only irresponsible but predatory.
Psyonix note that, despite these upcoming changes, the game’s Rocket Pass, DLC Cars, and esports items won’t be affected.
Source: Rocket League blog
colmshan1990
Purely side stepping in a bid to avoid any legislation or controversy coming their way.
A random crate appears in the store. You have 24 hours to purchase it. You can see what’s in the crate. Maybe an item you want, maybe one you don’t. It’s probably not the one thing you wish it could be though.
That’s ok though, maybe the random crate which appears tomorrow will have that 1 in a million top tier item which you could buy. Or…
You could buy the crate in front of you. It contains a common item you don’t want or need. But then a different crate will appear in the shop. You’re again under no obligation to buy the second crate. But that one might be the one you really wanted! And if that doesn’t contain it? Maybe the third one will…
And so on. You’re never technically gambling when making your purchase. You are buying a crate containing a stated item and that is what you get. But there is still the element of the lottery.