Apple now requires games with loot box mechanics to disclose odds
Game developers for the iOS platform would do well to heed the new guidelines.
Star Wars Battlefront II by EA was the center of attention for its loot box mechanics, as it was a 'full-priced' title with loot box mechanics. Image credit: The Straits Times.
Loot boxes in video games have been getting more attention as of late. One interested party is Apple, who now requires game apps with similar loot box mechanics to disclose the odds of receiving each pseudo-random item before the user purchases one.
The owner of the App Store for iOS devices is home to countless game apps with loot box mechanics with ambiguous odds for paid content. Taking a leaf from Japan's gambling legislation for "gacha" type games, Apple now requires any game with a loot box mechanic to reveal the chances of getting a coveted item. The requirement is now stated in their latest guideline handbook for app developers:
"Apps offering “loot boxes” or other mechanisms that provide randomized virtual items for purchase must disclose the odds of receiving each type of item to customers prior to purchase."
In Singapore, these games are not regulated under the Remote Gambling Act, since loot box purchases usually cannot be converted into cash, prizes, or real merchandise outside of the game, and therefore do not fall under our gambling legislature. However, legislative attitudes towards loot box mechanics in games are starting to shift, with the Belgium Gambling Commission being one of the first regulatory bodies to investigate the mechanic.
Source: Apple
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