But you can bet every developer is going to be asked
about loot boxes in 2018, and if a game includes them, the response won't be pretty.
Angry fans are actively
mad about loot boxes as a concept and swear off buying games that contain them.
The sad
truth about loot boxes is that they make the games tones of cash and they aren't going anywhere anytime soon.
Or it could be that most people aren't reading into the ruling and are just happy someone is doing
something about loot boxes, even if its logically inconsistent.
Over the past few months, the
debate about loot boxes has grown louder as players call for the mechanic to be classed as gambling.
Many gamers have been
complaining about loot boxes in games, stating that they're a form of gambling since it's like playing a slot machine where you spend money on an opportunity to get what you want, but there's a fairly low chance that you'll actually acquire the item you want.
GDC didn't
ask about loot boxes in 2017, so we have no point of comparison, but it certainly felt like more than 1 in 10 games had loot boxes this past year.
Shadow of War was only released on Tuesday, but if all the
noise about loot boxes didn't affect your decisions to buy it, we have a nice little Shadow of War guide you may want to check out.
As Josef explained it, «What happened there was like, during the day everybody's been talking about the Oscars — Oscar here, Oscar there — and when I went up there the idea was to talk about the Friends Pass, because the game is $ 29 and you don't have to buy two copies, but then there was all this
bullshit about loot boxes and everything, and I just reacted like «F *** the Oscars!
«You do not even see them unless you go hunting in the menu» I get constant
reminders about the loot box stuff everytime I go to the menu in - game to check my army or quests.
We kicked around some thoughts of our
own about loot boxes in the wake of uproars over their presence in Middle - earth: Shadow of War and Star Wars Battlefront 2.
Of course with the current
discussions about loot boxes some Forza Fans are not happy about this mechanic — I'm frustrated that some of the cars are locked behind the crates, but for the rest of the «prizes» I don't really see the issue.
This time, The Gamesmen talk about a Nintendo Switch exploit, Nintendo's E3 plans, the retirement of Nintendo President Tatsumi Kimishima, the Amazon Prime price jump,
more about loot boxes, and, the imminent reveal of Switch Online service.
By looking at the drop rates of items and compiling them against their sell numbers on the Steam Community Market, we can find out some interesting things
about the loot box economy as a whole.
First up we have a statement from
EA about loot boxes in Battlefront 2, and to be honest I don't think it says much.
Unlike the first Star Wars Battlefront from DICE the sequel is going to have a single player campaign — now you can check out the trailer above to get a look at what to expect other than a
fuss about loot boxes when the game launches on 17 November 2017.
It's clear that much of this has been spurred on by player reactions in recent weeks, the biggest result of which will be less content getting gated off by the Eververse, Destiny 2's post-game shop that's
all about loot boxes and real - world money.
Much like Battlefront II, of course, Mass Effect 3 was not exactly what fans had hoped for — although in this case, the title's tacked - on multiplayer was seen as unnecessary in comparison to disappointment with the game's narrative, rather than specific complaints
about loot boxes controlling the post-release conversations.
This is just one in a line of high profile political
statement about loot boxes, including Belgium's Justice Minister calling for loot box ban in Europe.
But in truth the year was packed with depressing
stories about loot boxes, so many in fact that it has at times felt like our beloved hobby was more about the chance to win a rare item than it was about the chance to play.
Many of the people complaining
about loot boxes now are the very same people who play and adore games, not right - wing religious extremists who want to obliterate everything we love.
The unparalleled outcry from players, fans, press, and
politicians about loot boxes in Star Wars Battlefront II signaled that we were at a breaking point.
Lots has been
said about the loot boxes that entice people to spend extra money, for the sake of progression, in Middle - earth: Shadow of War.
GDC didn't
ask about loot boxes in 2017, so we have no point of comparison, but it certainly felt like more than 1 in 10 games had loot boxes this past year.
For anyone wanting more context, here is the complete set of questions they had
about loot boxes in Fantasy Strike and beyond, and the answers I provided:
A Slippery Slope Let's talk
about loot boxes and premium currency.