Having no lootboxes in your game should be seen as a positive thing, but it sounds like 2K wants to do the opposite of that. 2K has released a new and official statement asking citizens in Belgium to lobby back for adding lootboxes in video games.
As you might know already, the Belgian Gambling Commission has banned lootboxes in the country as they feel it has the same impact as gambling does. This has caused 2K to change some of the things it has had to include in NBA 2K19. Funnily enough, 2K is asking fans in Belgium to contact their local government if they want to see the old features come back.
You can read the full statement 2K posted down below as posted by the official website: “The Belgium Gaming Commission (BGC) has stated that games which include certain ‘loot box’ style mechanics violate gambling laws in Belgium. While we disagree with this position, we are working to comply with the BGC’s current interpretation of these laws. As a result, we have made some local changes to the MyTeam mode. These changes are necessary in order for us to accommodate 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.Gamers are still able to acquire packs with MyTeam points. We will be continuing conversations with the BGC in order to explain our view on how NBA 2K and MyTeam pack purchases already comply with local laws. If you agree, we recommend that you contact your local government representative to communicate your opinion. We will keep the community posted on any developments. We apologize for any inconvenience.”
It’s unlikely gamers will want lootboxes to return in video games, but this is an interesting development. Hopefully other countries from around the world follow suit and ban lootboxes in video games like Belgium has.
