Microsoft, EA, Ubisoft, will start sharing loot box reward odds

Microsoft, EA, Ubisoft, will start sharing loot box reward odds

It looks like the tide is really starting to turn against loot boxes. Following a number of worldwide governments banning the practice altogether, developers are starting to voluntarily move away from the gambling mechanic. Epic Games recently announced that Rocket League would lose loot boxes in favor of transparent reward purchases and now EA, Microsoft, and Ubisoft have all announced plans to reveal the odds of unlocking certain items when you roll the dice on their randomized rewards.

It's not the same as outright banning the practice, building games that aren't designed to funnel you to addictive mechanics, nor just letting people buy what they want, but it does at least make it easier for people to make informed decisions. If you know it might take you four loot boxes to get the item you want, maybe you'll be less inclined to spend on it than if you saw the fruit-machine-like wheel spin and "almost" get what you want.

These developers join a growing list of game makers who will publicise loot chances in their games, in a move that they no doubt they hope will avoid them being tarred with the gambling brush, which would lock their games behind 18+ ratings.

The list of publishers now looking to make the odds public includes the above mentioned developers, as well as Activision Blizzard, Bandai Namco Entertainment, Bethesda, Bungie, Take-Two Interactive, Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, and Wizards of the Coast.

These changes are expected to take place in all games from these developers starting in 2020. There are many other developers and publishers who have yet to commit to such a move, however.