Sony, Microsoft, Nintendo team up to force loot box odds disclosures

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Nintendo, Microsoft, and Sony will start requiring new and updated games that sell randomized loot boxes on their consoles to reveal the relative odds of getting individual in-game items through those loot boxes.

The announcement came during an FTC panel on loot boxes taking place in Washington, DC today. Entertainment Software Association Chief Counsel Michael Warnecke said that the three major console makers "have indicated to ESA a commitment to new platform policies with respect to the use of paid loot boxes in games that are developed for their platforms."

"Specifically, this would apply to new games and game updates that add loot box features," Warnecke continued. "And it would require the disclosure of the relative rarity or probabilities of obtaining randomized virtual items on their platforms." In a press release, the ESA said the console makers "are targeting 2020 for the implementation of the policy."

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