The UK's Advertising Standards Authority introduces new guidance on annoying premium currencies By Natalie Clayton 24 September 2021 news The ASA wants games to make it clear how much items actually cost with real-world money.
FIFA 22 is bringing back 'preview packs,' but regular loot boxes are staying too By Andy Chalk 17 September 2021 news Introduced in FIFA 21, the content packs let you see what's inside them before you buy.
Second Life is banning gacha style transactions next month By Shaun Prescott 04 August 2021 News The popular—and lucrative—loot box style economy is gone due to a 'changing regulatory climate'.
You can now see inside some FIFA loot boxes before you buy By Jonathan Bolding 18 June 2021 News Electronic Arts has been one of the last holdouts in the great debate over loot boxes.
Leaked EA documents lead to more FIFA loot box scrutiny By Andy Chalk 26 April 2021 news Loot boxes are extremely lucrative for Electronic Arts, but they're still a lightning rod for controversy and criticism.
German parliament says it wants games with loot boxes rated 18+, then backtracks By Jody Macgregor 10 March 2021 News Bringing it in line with similar laws in Belgium.
FIFA 21 players can now track how much time and money they've sunk into it By Andy Chalk 12 November 2020 news FIFA Playtime is a new suite of built-in tracking tools that went live today.
Electronic Arts faces €10 million fine over FIFA loot boxes in the Netherlands By Andy Chalk 29 October 2020 news A Netherlands court has ruled that FIFA packs are a form of gambling, and against the law.
Loot box lawsuit claims Electronic Arts ran an 'unlicensed, illegal gaming system' By Andy Chalk 22 October 2020 news The suit has been filed in Canada, and relates to EA games going back to 2008.
The House of Lords wants loot boxes to be classified as gambling By Fraser Brown 02 July 2020 News A report recommends urgent legislative changes.
ESRB adds a new warning label for loot boxes By Andy Chalk 13 April 2020 news It's called 'Random Items,' because most parents still don't know what loot boxes are.
Children's commissioner report calls for loot boxes to be classified as gambling By Fraser Brown 22 October 2019 News Along with maximum daily spend limits and a new age rating system.
The ESA 'strongly disagrees' with UK Parliamentary inquiry's finding on loot boxes By Andy Chalk 13 September 2019 news A UK government inquiry determined that loot boxes should be regulated like gambling.
UK parliamentary inquiry recommends regulating loot boxes By Jody Macgregor 12 September 2019 News Says there's a "lack of honesty and transparency" among game company representatives.
Loot boxes are a matter of 'life or death' for problem gamblers, says researcher By Andy Chalk 09 August 2019 news Dr. David Zendle said there's a clear connection between loot boxes and problem gambling that must not be trivialized.
Microsoft, EA, Ubisoft and others agree to start sharing loot box odds By Andy Chalk 07 August 2019 Other publishers, including Activision, Electronic Arts, Take-Two, and Ubisoft, will also implement full odds disclosure.
UK Gambling Commission says (again) that loot boxes aren't gambling By Andy Chalk 23 July 2019 news Because loot box rewards can't be officially monetized, they're exempt from the classification.
It's time to stop calling videogames 'addictive,' UK trade group boss says By Andy Chalk 19 July 2019 news It risks reinforcing the belief that games are, in fact, addictive.
US loot box ban bill gains bipartisan support in the Senate By Ian Boudreau 24 May 2019 NEWS Two Democrats sign on to a Republican's bill.
Take-Two isn't worried about loot box laws because it doesn't make much money on them anyway By Andy Chalk 14 May 2019 news CEO Strauss Zelnick said during yesterday's earnings call that loot boxes are "not material to us."
