America’s ESRB has dealt with the ongoing loot box controversy by slapping an “in-game purchases” label on relevant titles.
“You may have notice that we’ve been a little quiet on the topic of in-game purchases and loot boxes, but we’ve been listening,” a post on Twitter reads.
“Starting soon ESRB will begin assigning a brand-new label to physical games: In-Game Purchases. This label, or as we call it interactive element, will appear on boxes (and wherever those games can be downloaded) for all games that offer the ability to purchase digital goods or premiums with real world currency.”
The entire statement is below:
An update on in-game purchases from your friends at ESRB: pic.twitter.com/pqmfJe0Ywz
— ESRB (@ESRBRatings) February 27, 2018
The ESRB has previously released a statement saying, “While there’s an element of chance in these mechanics, the player is always guaranteed to receive in-game content (even if the player unfortunately receives something they don’t want).”
This new response comes after numerous organisations have asked for a proper investigation on loot boxes in video games, and several other organisations have weighed in on whether or not loot boxes should be considered a form of gambling. For those keeping score, the Belgium Gaming Commission says they are, while the UK Gambling Commission does not.
Similarly, aggregation site OpenCritic announced it would take a stand against loot boxes, while a Hawaiian State representative has asked for loot boxes to be banned from games.
Last year, Apple required that all app developers disclosed the the odds of in-app or in-game loot boxes in order for their work to remain on the App Store.
What do you make of the ESRB’s latest move?
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