Belgium anti-lootbox policies distance game developers

The stringent stance that Belgium government has taken against loot boxes is distancing the game developers.

Kingdom Hearts Union X [Cross], Dissidia Final Fantasy Opera Omnia, and Mobius Final Fantasy have declared that they are stopping functioning in Belgium.

Kingdom Hearts Union X [Cross] will stop operating in Belgium on December 6th, 2018. Dissidia Final Fantasy Opera Omnia on December 19th, and Mobius Final Fantasy on November 30th. Games such as Overwatch and Counter-Strike had instead opted to restrict the sale of lootboxes to those playing from within Belgium. EA had revealed the odds for their loot boxes in FIFA 19.

In related news, Dutch outlets such as Metro and Nieuwsblad reported the Belgian Gaming Commission spoke to the country’s public prosecution office, and they are investigating whether to pursue legal action against EA.

The investigation is over how EA sold lootboxes through FIFA 18 and FIFA 19 (via the “Ultimate Team” mode’s randomised card packs). EA have also been given relevant documentation to notify them of the investigation.

Belgian Gaming Commission general director Peter Naessens told Nieuwsblad that even if the court rules in favour of EA, they will “advocate revising gambling law so that we can tackle the loot boxes.”