But 2017 saw publishers take the troubling step of attaching hard gameplay modifiers to loot boxes. This is already an obnoxious practice when it comes to 'non-essential' items like outfits, 'graffiti tags,' and other 'non-gameplay' accoutrements, especially since this turns a slot machine-like endorphin hit into a default gameplay incentive.

You can earn these random in-game items through normal gameplay, but more often than not, games intentionally make this a slow grind that-wouldn'tcha know-can be sped up with a flash of real-world cash. The practice bakes a random-item giveaway gimmick into video games. Over the past month, I've written at length about the rapid loot boxening of the games industry, a practice that has admittedly been part of PC and mobile games far longer than this year. But what do the changes really mean for the game, and has EA undone enough loot-box damage with this announcement? Altered the deal further The resulting changes and tweaks, on their face, look like a positive step away from the most poisonous aspects of loot boxes, particularly in paid retail games.

'A few weeks back, we mentioned we were going to take another look at how the progression system works.' 'The beta gave us a welcome chance to test all of our systems in action and tune things up for better balance,' the post states. 'We've listened to your feedback,' the post begins, and the rest of the update about this online multiplayer game focuses on one issue revealed during the game's October beta test: loot boxes.

UK Parliament: Ban all loot boxes until evidence proves they’re safe for kidsĪhead of Star Wars: Battlefront II's launch in a few weeks, its publisher EA posted an announcement on Tuesday.

So long, supply drops: Call of Duty gets rid of randomized loot boxes.

Epic will pay off class-action loot-box settlement with in-game currency.

EA confirms it isn’t secretly “fixing” FIFA matches.

Loot boxes too similar to “problem gambling” to avoid regulation, report says.

Battlefront beta has stopped working