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Diablo Immortal won't release in the Netherlands and Belgium due to loot box law

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Re: Diablo Immortal won't release in the Netherlands and Belgium due to loot box law

#11

Diablo Immortal faces a backlash as Metacritic user score drops to Blizzard’s third lowest ever https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/diablo-immortal-fac...

A fitting fate for the "do you guys not have phones"[0] game.

[0] https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/do-you-guys-not-have-phones

Re: Diablo Immortal won't release in the Netherlands and Belgium due to loot box law

#12
Immortal can be played for the mainline story without spending any money at all. So far, at least up to level 40 (about 12 hours of gameplay) I haven't felt the urge to spend money. It's a little like Path of Exile in that you can enjoy the base game and the story for free; it's only if you "get into it" that you start spending money (I never "got into it). I can't help but feel it's fair to give away a really nice game to everyone, supported by the super fans who stick around to dwell in the experience without bound.

Re: Diablo Immortal won't release in the Netherlands and Belgium due to loot box law

#13
post #6
post #2

Given the game is free to play (freemium), I find it interesting that random stuff can't drop on the ground. So games can't give away free digital goods? Is this only in the context of people who paid something?

Where did "free digital goods" come from? People have to pay money - sometimes a lot of money - for these loot boxes. I'm fine with random loot tables, but the moment I need to pay to roll the dice it stops being a "random item drop" and starts looking awfully like a "slot machine".

To be fair, the last sentence in GP comment makes it fairly obvious they're just trying to understand the context in which this applies.

"Lootboxes" means different things to digfer people, depending on their experience with the genre, even if those that have been following along think of it as "pay for random item roll", as I believe is the case here.

Re: Diablo Immortal won't release in the Netherlands and Belgium due to loot box law

#14
post #2

Given the game is free to play (freemium), I find it interesting that random stuff can't drop on the ground. So games can't give away free digital goods? Is this only in the context of people who paid something?

Yes, I'm fairly sure this is in the context of people that pay addrioltional money to unlock a random item roll chance in game. For additional context, see all the news about star wars battlefront 2 a few years back, there this really got a lot of popular coverage.

Re: Diablo Immortal won't release in the Netherlands and Belgium due to loot box law

#15
post #6
post #2

Given the game is free to play (freemium), I find it interesting that random stuff can't drop on the ground. So games can't give away free digital goods? Is this only in the context of people who paid something?

Where did "free digital goods" come from? People have to pay money - sometimes a lot of money - for these loot boxes. I'm fine with random loot tables, but the moment I need to pay to roll the dice it stops being a "random item drop" and starts looking awfully like a "slot machine".

I think they are talking about unpaid loot/ loot boxes

Re: Diablo Immortal won't release in the Netherlands and Belgium due to loot box law

#16
I’m fine with micro transactions in games (even “pay to win” although I don’t play those myself). But digital gambling is manipulative and should be regulated just like physical gambling. Props to these countries for stepping up.

Re: Diablo Immortal won't release in the Netherlands and Belgium due to loot box law

#17

Immortal can be played for the mainline story without spending any money at all. So far, at least up to level 40 (about 12 hours of gameplay) I haven't felt the urge to spend money. It's a little like Path of Exile in that you can enjoy the base game and the story for free; it's only if you "get into it" that you start spending money (I never "got into it). I can't help but feel it's fair to give away a really nice g…

It's not fair, it's predatory behavior aimed at addicts and children.

I hope the rest of the EU will follow the fine example set by NL and BE.

Re: Diablo Immortal won't release in the Netherlands and Belgium due to loot box law

#18

Diablo Immortal faces a backlash as Metacritic user score drops to Blizzard’s third lowest ever https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/diablo-immortal-fac...

"Third lowest" says a lot about Blizzard's recent releases. They might have made more money in the short term, but their reputation is thrashed.

Re: Diablo Immortal won't release in the Netherlands and Belgium due to loot box law

#19

Immortal can be played for the mainline story without spending any money at all. So far, at least up to level 40 (about 12 hours of gameplay) I haven't felt the urge to spend money. It's a little like Path of Exile in that you can enjoy the base game and the story for free; it's only if you "get into it" that you start spending money (I never "got into it). I can't help but feel it's fair to give away a really nice g…

No. Sell me a game, not a matryoshka of skinner boxes I have to pay for.
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