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PEGI adds notice to inform about loot boxes

The European rating system PEGI will now alert consumers of games offering randomised loot boxes.

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Back in 2018, Pan European Game Information (or PEGI) added a notice "In-Game Purchases" as a response to pressure to do something about loot boxes. Unfortunately, this notice included every type of microtransaction, including randomized loot boxes.

Now PEGI is adding an extra notice, namely "Includes Paid Random Items", so it makes a difference between microtransactions in general, and microtransactions with randomised elements (like loot boxes, card packs and prize machines). This notice will be included in both digital and physical copies of the game.

"Paid random items are a particular form of optional in-game purchases (*): they comprise all in-game offers to purchase digital goods or premiums where players don't know exactly what they are getting prior to the purchase (e.g. loot boxes, card packs, prize wheels)."

Previously, the North American Entertainment Software Rating Board (or ESRB) created a similar new notice in its rating system.

Better late than never, although nowadays many publishers have already removed loot boxes from their games because they created so much bad blood towards that publishers among gamers. The starting point for the whole loot box backlash was 2017's Star Wars Battlefront II from Electronic Arts.

PEGI adds notice to inform about loot boxes
PEGI


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