PlayerUnknown’s Battleground’s second major post-release update is currently live on the test servers, bringing with it changes to how PUBG Corp handles cheating, performance and balance tweaks. PUBG is also expanding its loot crates as well as possibly adding in a new type of microtransaction, but in a bid to …

With every advancement in technology, the law has always lagged behind. This is most recently evident in the controversy of loot boxes and how to regulate them, but things might be beginning to change. Apple has updated its iOS developer guidelines, now requiring games with loot boxes to disclose their …

Last week, Take-Two announced Private Division, a new label set to cater to indie titles on a much lower budget. The question on many people’s tongues was whether Private Division would push microtransactions as aggressively as its parent company, but according to Obsidian, they won’t be appearing in its upcoming …

Loot boxes and their relation to gambling has been a hot topic of 2017, showing no signs of stopping as we head into the new year. In a bid to address the issue head on, independent charity Gamble Aware and The Gambling Commission have shifted the conversation from defining what …

The loot box debacle deepened last week as a US lawmaker geared up for some much needed changes surrounding the system. It seems the same can’t be said for New Zealand, however, as the country’s government has determined that loot boxes aren’t classed as gambling. Gamasutra broke the news via …

Back in November, Hawaii representative, Chris Lee, rose to prominence in the gaming scene after he called out Star Wars Battlefront II's loot box system, blasting EA's microtransaction scheme as a ‘predatory practice'. He also branded the game as a ‘Star Wars-themed online casino' in a video announcing his plans …

A few weeks ago, Take-Two's CEO said in an earnings call that the publisher would be looking to include microtransactions in all of its games moving forward. This of course, arrived just before the Battlefront II loot box fiasco. Given the backlash EA is facing, other publishers are likely taking …

The controversy surrounding Star Wars Battlefront II has been going back and forth for a while but since switching off microtransactions, EA has been pretty quiet on the subject. Now, the publisher's CFO, Blake Jorgensen has elaborated a bit more on EA's decisions leading up to release, specifically addressing the …

With the increasing inclusion of loot crates within popular triple-A titles came the concerns over their relation to gambling and subsequent ratings enabling minors to engage in the malicious practice. This has escalated as of late, with Belgium and certain states in the US calling for investigations and potential bans, …

It seems that politicians in the US are also getting involved in the video game loot box debate. Earlier today, we learned that the Belgium Gaming Commission do consider loot boxes to be a form of gambling and now, politicians in Hawaii are calling out EA's “predatory practices” with Star …

Update (22/11/17): After announcing that it would be launching an investigation last week, the Belgium Gaming Commission has announced that it now deems video game loot boxes as a form of gambling. Initially, the Belgium Gaming Commission was investigating the crates obtained in games like Overwatch and Star Wars Battlefront …

Loot boxes have gained quite the stigma lately, arousing controversy due to many perceiving its randomised nature and ties to microtransactions as a form of gambling. We’ve seen many games cited as a part of the problem, such as Destiny 2, Middle-earth: Shadow of War and the upcoming Star Wars …

While microtransactions aren’t new to the gaming world, it has taken a turn in 2017 by making their way into single-player experiences such as Middle-earth: Shadow of War and Assassin’s Creed Origins. This has caused unrest in the gaming community, but Monster Hunter fans need not worry about such a …

The inclusion of loot boxes in Call of Duty isn’t exactly a new concept, with Sledgehammer Games having introduced them in Advanced Warfare back in 2014. The studio is continuing this practice with Call of Duty: WWII, and while this is unsurprising, it’s certainly a hot topic as of late. …

Concerns arose around video game loot boxes a couple of weeks ago, with a good portion of the public stating that they should be revised to classify as gambling. While the government has already offered one response, it has since gone into more detail, stating that it is “committed to …

Developer Fatshark has released the first look at its upcoming sequel, Warhammer: Vermintide 2. One thing that the studio was adamant on getting across is that the only Chaos here is the faction, as the game will “NOT” have loot boxes. That’s right, Chaos is taking the forefront this time …

Previous UK Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, Tracey Crouch has responded to Cambridge Labour MP Daniel Zeichner's two questions regarding the concern that loot boxes are a form of gambling.

Update 17/10/17: Conservative MP and former Culture, Media and Sport committee member, Tracey Crouch, has officially responded to Cambridge Labour MP, Daniel Zeichner's questions. Unfortunately, the government has yet to respond to Connor Rhys Deeley's ongoing petition which seems well on its way to achieving its 100,000-signature goal. Original story: Last week, game …

Over the last few months, there have been some growing concerns surrounding Star Wars: Battlefront and its in-game microtransaction system. This came to a head last weekend when the open beta kicked off. Fans didn't get the best impression of the loot crate system, so today, DICE has spoken out …

While titles like Middle-Earth: Shadow of War and Star Wars Battlefront II are coming under fire for their loot box microtransactions, Ubisoft is taking the safer route this year with Assassin’s Creed: Origins. There will be loot boxes present in the game, but before you roll your eyes too hard, …

It seems the trend of CS:GO-style loot boxes continues, with The Division following in the footsteps of Rainbow Six: Siege and PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds by including them in its 1.7 update that lands tomorrow. That’s not all, as returning players can expect to see new global evens and modifiers for the …

Back in May, Ubisoft officially delayed/halted production on future ‘Year Two' DLC for Rainbow Six Siege, replacing it with ‘Operation Health'. While that is still under way, this week's Rainbow Six update focusses on something a little different, with a loot box system now rolling out for the game. These …

Over the years, publishers like EA have experimented with microtransactions in Triple A games quite a bit. Over time though, game makers have found more forgivable ways to include them, for instance, most people seem to be willing to accept loot boxes. However, those loot box systems are usually confined …

Lootboxes have become a cursed word within the video games industry, with many developers shying away from the exploitative and manipulative practice of including such gacha elements into their games. One of the games which still use loot boxes is the free-to-play Mario Kart Tour. Fortunately, Nintendo has now announced …

It's the first week of the month, which means we're getting a new wave of Xbox Game Pass titles announced today. Previous months were headlined by the likes of MLB: The Show 22, Weird West, Life is Strange and Guardians of the Galaxy. For May, we're getting a boost in …

People Can Fly didn't quite strike it big with Outriders but the studio has multiple new games lined up. One such game is Project Maverick, a new RPG developed in collaboration with Xbox. We first heard about Project Maverick earlier this year but People Can Fly has now confirmed a …

When Xbox Game Pass was first introduced, many interested parties showed concern for the health of the video games industry, fearing that offering such a subscription service would cannibalise sales and could lead to platform favouritism. According to one studio, this is not the case, with the recently-released Everspace 2 …

2022 has been a big year for gaming. Equally, the year has served Xbox Game Pass well, with the game subscription service adding hundreds of titles over the course of the past 12 months. With the year coming to an end, let’s take a look back at some of the biggest titles of each month, and ultimately decide whether Xbox Game Pass in 2022 was worth the £131.88 annual asking price.

The Xbox and Bethesda 2022 showcase has arrived, with a key focus on games coming out within the next 12 months. The show opened up with one of last year's surprises, Redfall, which now has an official gameplay trailer.  Redfall opened up the show this year with a 6-minute gameplay …

Godfall has had an interesting life. Originally announced as a PS5 exclusive, the game was the first title to officially be announced for Sony’s then-next-gen system. Since launch, the game has found its way to PC, via the Epic Games Store, and even the PS4. Now, Godfall is finally finding …