The much maligned loot box system of EA's recently released video game "Star Wars: Battlefront II" has received serious attention from authorities, with Belgium's gambling authority launching an investigation. Not surprisingly, EA issued a statement denying that the loot box system can be considered gambling.
The company said that one of its priorities is making sure that the game experience is fair and fun. "The crate mechanics of Star Wars Battlefront II are not gambling," said EA in a statement. "A player's ability to succeed in the game is not dependent on purchasing crates." EA also noted that players can also earn the loot boxes through playing the game without paying any money.
EA's main argument is that the loot boxes always guarantee that players will get some content that can be used in the game. This differentiates the system from other gambling systems, wherein people are usually left with nothing if they lose.
The main concern is that in the loot box system, players pay money for certain things, but due to the random nature of the system, they actually do not know that they are buying. To complicate things further, the "Star Wars" franchise is targeted to minors making the gambling allegation even worse.
The Gaming Commission in Belgium, which requires permits for games of chance, is also looking at another game, "Overwatch," whose random loot box system could potentially be considered gambling. While the crates from "Star Wars: Battlefront II" can contain items that affect actual gameplay, the loot boxes of "Overwatch" contain cosmetic items only. Blizzard, the publisher of "Overwatch," has yet to release a statement about the matter.
The authorities' interest in the matter is only growing. Following Belgium's decision to investigate the game, gambling authorities from the Netherlands have also started their investigation of the game's loot box system.
