Lootboxes have increasingly come under scrutiny around the world as governments begin to take note of its connections to gambling. Now Brazil is launching an inquiry to ban lootboxes outright. Many in-game lootboxes in various games would be categorized under randomized monetization, which under Brazilian law counts as gambling and is therefore illegal.
Companies that implement lootboxes in their games (e.g. EA, Valve, Activision & more) could be fined for up to $706,000 per day.
The Brazilian government joins a couple of other countries worldwide that have recently increased pressure on developers. Germany, Belgium, UK and the Netherlands have all taken steps to reign in the usage of lootboxes for microtransactions.
More Gaming:
- E3 2021 to be fully virtual
- The most popular games on Twitch in March 2021
- The Downfall of RTS – Where have all the good strategy games gone to?
What do you think about lootboxes? Join the discussion on social media or our Discord!
You can also help improve our website by submitting direct feedback!
Image Credit: Overwatch