18 European countries’ consumer groups have joined the fight against loot boxes
20 consumer groups from 18 European countries are launching a coordinated action asking authorities to pass regulations on loot boxes.
The groups are lending their support to a new report from the Norwegian Consumer Council (NCC) entitled “Insert Coin: How the Gaming Industry Exploits Consumers Using Loot Boxes”.
The consumer groups are calling for a number of measures, including “a ban on deceptive design, extra protections for minors, and transactional transparency”.
The report accuses companies of exploiting consumers by using mechanisms that it claims are “predatory” and “fostering addiction”.
While calls for legislation on loot boxes have been taking place for a number of years, this new action is notable due to the number of nations being represented in a single coordinated campaign.
The 20 organisations represent consumers in Austria, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland, with the NCC coordinating and leading the campaign alongside the European Consumer Organisation in Brussels.
The NCC’s 59-page document uses FIFA 22 and Raid: Shadow Legends as case studies, claiming: “Both games employ a wide arsenal of tricks to push consumers into spending as much time and money as possible exploiting consumers [who] hope to receive the reward despite a miniscule chance and likelihood to do so.”
According to the report, the sale and presentation of loot boxes often involve exploiting consumers via:
Following the publication of the report, the NCC’s director of digital policy Finn Myrstad stated: “Loot boxes have been the source of several controversies already.
“Through our work we have established that the sale and
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