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2K asks fans to tell Belgium they want loot boxes

lashman

lashman

Member
Oct 25, 2017
161


2K asks fans to tell Belgium they want loot boxes

NBA 2K19 launches in a couple weeks, and in Belgium, it'll be missing a certain component: players there will not be able to buy card packs with real-money currency, thanks to a determination by the Belgian Gaming Commission that such transactions constitute illegal gambling.

As might be expected, publisher 2K doesn't agree with this ruling, and has issued a statement to that effect on the official site. The statement also asks for a little help from Belgian fans.

"We are working to comply with the BGC's current interpretation of these laws," the company wrote in the statement. "As a result, we have made some local changes to the MyTeam mode. These changes are necessary in order for us to accomodate the BGC's interpretation of the Belgian Gaming Act. Specifically, we will be turning off the ability to purchase packs with premium (non-earned) currency/VC."

2K says it's having "continuing conversations" with Belgian officials about the BGC's interpretation of the rules, and the company argues that the packs you can buy in games like NBA 2K19 already comply with Belgian gambling laws.

"If you agree, we recommend that you contact your local government representative to communicate your opinion," 2K wrote. "We will keep the community posted on any developments. We apologize for any inconvenience."

'Blind' loot boxes, where players pay for packages of random in-game items, have been banned in both Belgium and the Netherlands recently, following government studies that found them to constitute gambling.
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SageShinigami

SageShinigami

Member
Oct 27, 2017
30,475
LOL. I wonder how this plays out. My friend was a big 2K fan for the last four years but 2K18 was apparently so much of a grind he decided it wasn't worth even getting 2K19.
 

Deleted member 1378

User requested account closure
Member
Oct 25, 2017
2,741
2k is one of the few games out there at $60 that genuinely was pay to win

so i'm not surprised they're pushing this hard
 
KRBM

KRBM

Banned
Jan 9, 2018
684
We would like you to tell the Belgian government why you don't want loot boxes in games, please
 
TheCrackedJack

TheCrackedJack

Member
Oct 27, 2017
2,030
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L4DANathan

L4DANathan

Avenger
Oct 26, 2017
857
Fairfax, VA, USA
If this was the US, they would have completely removed it from every release of the game. As it stands, they have enough economic and social power to actually bully this nation into submission, so they will.
 
Malovis

Malovis

Member
Oct 27, 2017
767
Ah yes, the great moral character of gaming companies. Makes it even more perplexing why people shill for them.
 
ASaiyan

ASaiyan

Member
Oct 25, 2017
7,228
"Okay guys, tell your government you want exploitative gambling-based microtransactions!

...Guys?..."
 

Deleted member 2791

User requested account closure
Banned
Oct 25, 2017
19,054
I mean it doesn't work like that anyway, the "call your local government representative" thing is a stupidity that only exists in US.
 
Viceratops

Viceratops

Banned
Jun 29, 2018
2,570
I Love that line "current interpretation of the laws." It sounds as if they think they know better as an outside global brand than what a particular, sovereign country does about their own lawmaking.
 
.exe

.exe

Member
Oct 25, 2017
22,242
Can hear it already. I need my fix, haven't won any sick skins in weeks and my bank account is in the plus! What do I do now with all this useless money?!

I'm all seriousness the implementation could use some work. Perhaps greater barriers of entry, better labelling (not 'in-game purchases' lol), and (better) oversight by e.g. PEGI. Makes more sense to have uniform rules in Europe. Maybe if we can tough it out they'll be replaced by the pass system (Battle Pass, Rocket Pass, etc).
 
ElPotatoKiller

ElPotatoKiller

Member
Sep 3, 2018
30
What are they expecting? For the Belgian government to see that a select few are begging for lootboxes and go "Oh well, guess we'll just abolish a law we just created in order to prevent promotion of gambling." This is just sad. Why can't they just make it so that you can actually play the game without having to resort to buying loot boxes. Is this what they consider industry standard? lol
 
danmaku

danmaku

Member
Nov 5, 2017
3,233
"The situation is dire. The government is against us. Time for extreme measures. RELEASE THE WHALES!"
 
Majukun

Majukun

Banned
Oct 27, 2017
4,542
yeah, let the addicts tell the government why they want back what they are addicted to
 

Deleted member 15447

User requested account closure
Banned
Oct 27, 2017
1,728
They sell their deluxe version of NBA2K for like $150 as it is and still want to make VC money as well.

Disgraceful.
 
Decarb

Decarb

Member
Oct 27, 2017
8,643
I love how they keep saying "Belgium's interpretation of the law". You got it wrong guys, its not gambling. You're interpreting it wrong.
 

Deleted member 37233

Banned
Jan 2, 2018
10,699
unicornKnight said:
It will. Not sure if you mean it or being sarcastic but companies are clever. People will be like "players in other countries have the option, why shouldn't we? let us decide where we spend our money..." this is capitalism after all, free market.
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No, it won't. The majority of people are lazy and don't care for important political issues, but for 2k they suddenly will change and demonstrate? Nah, I don't believe that.
 
Zhukov

Zhukov

Banned
Dec 6, 2017
2,641
You laugh, but I'd bet money that there are people out there getting really mad over not being able to buy loot boxes.
 
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