Apple Weighs In On Loot Box Controversy By Updating App Store Guidelines

With the controversy surrounding loot boxes such as New Zealand saying they’re not gambling, the UK and Belgium saying they are, and Blizzard saying Overwatch doesn’t belong in the controversy at all, we expected to see more companies and countries weigh in. Instead, Apple surprises us all by adding their two cents in with a change to their App Store guidelines.

In their latest update, they’ve added a few stipulations. One of which directly applies to loot boxes.

“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.”

This means that any game with a loot box mechanic must actually display the odds of winning each item that comes in a loot box. This is a pretty big step, considering loot boxes arguably originated from mobile games. Games can no longer hide the chances of that skin you really want to unlock. You’ll know your chances before giving the game any money.

It’s important to note that this applies to iOS and Mac releases. Meaning, any AAA games released on Mac also must follow these rules. For a full rundown of Apple’s guidelines, take a look here.