App Store now forces games with loot boxes to disclose item odds

Not the best sign in the world when Apple shows more concern for consumer monetization.

By Robert Purchese Published 21/12/2017

Apple, in what may be a trend-setting decision, now requires any App Store game with loot boxes to disclose the odds of receiving items from them.

"Apps offering 'loot boxes' or other mechanisms that provide randomised virtual items for purchase must disclose the odds of receiving each type of item to customers prior to purchase," a bullet point added to the 3.1.1 in-app purchase clause now reads (via TouchArcade).

Forcing disclosure of odds is something China has required all games to do, by law, since May. It's how we learned Overwatch awards an epic item once every 5.5 loot boxes and a legendary once every 13.5 loot boxes.

It will be illuminating to see whether other platforms follow Apple's lead, and, on a more nuts and bolts level, exactly what kind of odds we're up against in the games we play.

Middle-earth: Shadow of War was yet another big game this year to feature loot boxes.

Loot boxes, and whether or not their inherent randomness represents gambling, is a scorching hot topic at the moment and rightly so. The UK Gambling Commission is looking into it, as is the Belgian Gaming Commission. In Hawaii, meanwhile, Democrat rep Chris Lee went as far as to call Battlefront 2 "a Star Wars-themed online casino designed to lure kids into spending money".

Star Wars Battlefront 2 has been the poster-game of loot box hate. But in its case it isn't the random nature of loot boxes themselves that's the problem so much as their contents being fundamental to how you progress and grow in power through the game - an aggressively greedy system completely out of place in a full-price product. And the reaction to it has been fierce - so fierce, in fact, EA had to temporarily suspend real-money sale of loot boxes in the game. EA has said microtransactions will return to Star Wars Battlefront 2 but when, we don't know.

@uninspiredcup: It also gives them more control over how people can make money on their platform, so I wouldn't say it is showing concern for consumers

Yeah we have at least 6 states of the USA taking this very seriously and some statements from europe that seemed to strongly suggest, in-between the lines, that the video game bigwigs have a last chance to self regulate.

Seeing how EA, Activision & co. are trying to make things worse instead of better, it looks to me like they are busy haughtily mocking the governments and are not going to self regulate. The industry's ESA even failed to do as much as communicate with Chris Lee, like he's not important. And please remember this, guys. This is an important moment in gaming. Right now the industry has a window to self regulate and make this all go well. The ball is in their court.

You hear that? That is the sound of corporations quaking in their boots. They're beginning to look for ways to self-regulate... ...while they still can.

Mmmmm, the fear. The sweet cry of terror of those who see themselves big and mighty. I sip it like a connoisseur might a glass of fine Sauvignon Blanc.

Don't let up, folks.

Nice. Hope next up are heavy micro trans based games would have a huge UELA that can't be skipped but only pops up initially and every now and then on how the game is specifically designed to take advantage of whales (scientific revenue was it?) in a less lawyery writing that most average joe would easily understand.

TBH, IDK if whales or dolphins already know these and are "fine" with it.

What you know. I d never thought i'd live the day i will agree on something apple did