Many of you who play Overwatch will be familiar with the “Loot Box” system. The game gives you an in-game box which, when opened, will give you a randomized set of in-game items. Not many people like this system, particularly the Chinese government, thanks to its gambling-like system. However, China isn’t looking to ban games that use this system; it is looking to force game developers to reveal the drop rates for those boxes instead.
Beginning in May 2017, a law that has been passed by China’s Ministry of Culture will force game publishers to post the probability “of all virtual items, props and services” available in loot boxes. In addition to that, game publishers must also publicly announce the random draw results by customers on notable places such as the game’s official website or in game. These records must be kept for government inquiry for more than 90 days.
Of course, these laws will only be effective in China, so game publishers don’t really have to reveal their loot boxes’ drop probabilities outside of Mainland China. Seeing as information spreads quickly on the internet, we don’t need to wait too long for people to repost the drop probabilities on other gaming websites or forums.
Source: Kotaku, Ministry of Culture of the People’s Republic of China
