The Association for UK Interactive Entertainment (Ukie) has released a new guidance for video game loot boxes, which consists of 11 principles. They are designed to be followed by developers, publishers, and other market participants.

The Dutch government is now preparing to completely ban loot boxes in video games. This is part of the country’s plan to improve regulations for in-game purchases.

South Korea’s National Assembly has passed a new amendment to the Game Industry Promotion Act. It will force developers to disclose the probability of obtaining chance-based items.

The European Parliament has decided to take action against loot boxes and other issues in the games industry to better protect consumers. The members also proposed several measures to stimulate market growth.

A group of UK researchers have conducted a study of games with loot boxes and other chance-based rewards. They identified the harm these mechanics cause to children and shared their recommendations for solving this problem.

The Netherlands might follow Belgium’s example, becoming the next European country to ban loot boxes. Several political parties have proposed a bill to impose restrictions on these in-game mechanics, which they say are addictive and can manipulate kids.

Spain has joined several other European countries fighting against in-game loot boxes. According to local authorities, a new law will regulate all mechanics, which have real economic value.

After years of being criticized for its loot boxes policy, Electronic Arts has decided to make the so-called “Preview Packs” a permanent feature in FIFA 22. These packs let players look at all specific items inside loot boxes before buying them.

More than 20 prominent members of the World Of Warships community program have left citing the Wargaming’s increasing reliance on loot boxes and randomized item unlocks. That’s in a title marketed to children and veterans.

Although Chinese regulators require developers to disclose loot boxes odds to players, many studios find their own ways to bypass the rules. Some companies try to hide the information from gamers, while others simply ignore the law.

Electronic Arts decided to test a new way players interact with loot boxes in the FIFA series. The company now lets users preview packs before buying them as part of a new time-limited event. However, it has some restrictions.

According to Electronic Arts, Ultimate Team made a “substantial portion” of its revenue last year. Now we know exactly how much money the company made from this game mode, which accounts for almost 30 percent of its total earnings.

An internal FIFA 21 presentation suggests Electronic Arts is actively trying to encourage players to spend real money on loot boxes.

EA confirmed allegations of its employees selling rare Ultimate Team cards to FIFA players for thousands of dollars. The company is now investigating the case.

Germany is considering a new reform of the Youth Protection Act. The government wants to protect kids from gambling-like mechanics by classifying games with loot boxes 18+.

This is another installment of Semenov&Pevzner’s overview of major lawsuits and infringements affecting the gaming industry.

Loot boxes have proved rather resilient in the face of attempts by the EU authorities to regulate them through gambling legislation. In the countries that classified loot boxed as a gambling mechanic, such as Belgium and the Netherlands, publishers simply made the in-game currency unavailable while keeping it elsewhere.

Last Friday, a proposed class action lawsuit was filed with the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California. It alleges that Apple allows games with loot boxes on the App Store, a mechanic that constitutes gambling thus violating California law.

In the USA and Canada, a special designation has been introduced for games with loot boxes. Prior to this, all games with IAP, including those containing loot boxes, had the same in-game purchase notification.