8Bit/Digi

With the ongoing controversy and debate over loot boxes, OpenCritic has decided to take a stance by flagging games that include the feature.

Effective immediately, OpenCritic will flag any game that includes loot box mechanics in their gameplay. The flag will inform readers that the game includes a feature that is being investigated by various governments. Any game with loot boxes will feature the following warning on their review page:

Please note: This game has monetized random reward mechanics, commonly referred to as “loot boxes.” These mechanics are similar to gambling and are being investigated by Belgium’s Gaming Commission, the Netherlands Gaming Authority, and other government bodies.

Among the most notable games to be flagged are Black Ops 4, Overwatch and FIFA 19. At the moment, not all games have been flagged with the warning (like Star Wars: Battlefront II) but OpenCritic is working to add it to all games that use loot boxes.

Loot boxes is a form of microtransaction that has been the subject of controversy for sometime. The tipping point came after EA boggled down the progression system of Star Wars: Battlefront II, promoting numerous governments investigating the practice and Belgium declaring them a form of gabbling.

OpenCritic is an independent review aggregation site that collects video game reviews from credible sites and generates an overall score.

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