Apple has introduced restrictions on the use of loot boxes in iOS games. The company obliged developers to disclose to users the probability of receiving each type of items before buying a loot box.
Daniel Ahmad, a game analyst at Niko Partners, drew attention to this change in the App Store placement policy on Twitter.
The new rules came into force on December 20. They concern not only loot boxes, but also “other mechanics that provide random delivery of virtual items.”
According to Ahmad, a similar law on the “transparency” of loot boxes has been adopted in China since May of this year.
Recall that the public controversy about the monetization of video games through loot boxes has become one of the largest scandals in the gaming industry over the past year. It flared up after the release of the online shooter Star Wars: Battlefront II in November.
Disputes about the affiliation of loot boxes to gambling and the need to regulate this mechanics are still ongoing.
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