"Star Wars: Battlefront II" and "Overwatch" are currently being investigated by Belgium's gambling authority, the reason behind these investigations, are the game's loot boxes.
Loot boxes in both "Star Wars: Battlefront II" and "Overwatch" operate in a similar manner. Players purchase these loot boxes for the chance to win rare items and in-game cosmetics. The items inside the loot boxes are randomized so the item players receive from these boxes are up to chance, making it a game of luck of sorts. Sometimes players receive the item they wanted to, sometimes they are pleasantly surprised by new items, and at other times they receive items they already have.
Due to the randomized nature of the loot boxes, coupled with the fact that they are a form of microtransactions within the game itself, the Belgian Gaming Commission took notice of this and decided to investigate both "Star Wars: Battlefront II" and "Overwatch."
VTM News reported on the events. According to VTM news, the Belgian Gaming Commission reportedly see the microtransactions in both "Star Wars: Battlefront II" and "Overwatch" as a threat to minors. The randomized aspect of the game might pressure many to spend lots of money because they won't know what item they'll be getting from these loot boxes. Aside from that, Games of Chance reportedly need permits before they can operate.
According to VTM News, if the worst case event happens, EA would have to pay a large fine. It's either that, or the game itself might be pulled off of the shelves instead.
Here are some of the lines from the gaming commission: "Games of chance cannot be compared to any other kind of economic services. They may cause people to become addicted to gambling and cause them to lose a great deal of money. For this reason, a number of protective measures have been implemented to protect players against these sorts of potential risks."
