The Dutch authorities have ordered a number of developers to remove loot boxes from their games. Companies have 2 months to respond. If they do not comply with the requirements, they may be fined and even banned titles with loot boxes on the territory of the country.
This was announced by the state gambling regulatory authority Netherlands Gaming Authority. He checked 10 popular games with loot-box mechanics and concluded that some titles violate Dutch gambling laws.
The Dutch authorities did not specify which games they were talking about. But the local publication NOS writes that Dota 2, PUBG, FIFA 18 and Rocket League may fall under sanctions.
The regulator recognized the mechanics of loot boxes as gambling, since in it the receipt of a game item does not depend on skills or experience, and the items themselves are valuable outside the game, where they can be exchanged for money or other things.
Although the check found no direct violations of the law in the remaining 6 games, the researchers noted that the mechanics presented in them may affect gamers with gaming addiction.
“These mechanics are created on the same principle as gambling machines. They encourage you to play again and again with the help of vivid visual and sound effects and give you the feeling that you are about to win,” says Marja Appelman, Director of Netherlands Gaming Authority.
The Netherlands may become the first country in the world to restrict the game mechanics of loot boxes at the state level.
The state authorities reported that they want to work on the problem of loot boxes together with other European countries.
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