EA screwed everyone.
Soon, the ability to buy loot boxes in Overwatch with real money will be disabled in Belgium and The Netherlands. To comply with the Belgian Gaming Commission, Blizzard will soon disable the sale of loot boxes in those countries. And this decision also extends to Heroes of the Storm.
The BGC declared loot boxes to be considered gambling back in April. In May, they recommended to Belgium’s minister of justice that publishers guilty of using a loot box system be prosecuted.
Blizzard expressed their feelings on the decision over on the Overwatch forums:
In April 2018, the Belgian Gaming Commission published a report that was endorsed by the Belgian Ministry of Justice in which they concluded that paid loot boxes in Overwatch are considered gambling under local law. While we at Blizzard were surprised by this conclusion and do not share the same opinion, we have decided to comply with their interpretation of Belgian law. As a result, we have no choice but to implement measures that will prevent Overwatch and Heroes of the Storm players located in Belgium from purchasing in-game loot boxes and loot chests with real money and gems.
No matter what, we want to make sure that our players around the world have the best entertainment experience possible. While players in Belgium will no longer be able to purchase paid loot boxes in Overwatch and loot chests in Heroes of the Storm, they’ll still be able to earn them by playing the games, and they’ll still have access to all in-game content.
These measures will be implemented shortly. We also remain open to further discussions with the Belgian Gaming Commission and Ministry of Justice on this topic.
That said, it’s not like players in these countries won’t be able to get boxes anymore. There are plans to make them purchasable again by use of in-game currency earned via playtime.
Source: VG 24/7
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