A new loot box investigation is set to begin at the US Federal Trade Commission. Commissioner Joseph Simons committed the FTC to determining the dangers posed by loot boxes in video games.
The US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is poised to begin a video game loot box investigation. The investigation follows a number of other country’s investigations into loot boxes, their legality, and how loot box-type microtransactions relate to gambling.
Joseph Simons, chairman of the FTC, pledged that his agency would investigate loot boxes. Loot boxes have become common in many multiplayer games like Overwatch and even single-player titles like Middle-earth: Shadow of War (although they were patched out later). These microtransaction systems generate continued revenue through real-world purchases of mystery items. Simons’ pledge came in front of Congress on Tuesday, November 27.
Senator Maggie Hassan (D-NH) said that loot box-esque systems were “endemic” in the video game industry, and could be found in all kinds of games.
