As some might have heard, over in Belgium, authorities have ruled that loot boxes in video games are considered as gambling and should be banned. This has resulted in companies such as Blizzard removing paid loot boxes from games like Overwatch and Heroes of the Storm, but it seems that either EA didn’t get the memo or they’re just refusing to comply.
According to a report from Belgian publication Metro (via Eurogamer), it seems that EA has not removed loot boxes from their FIFA game, and is apparently now part of a criminal investigation by the Brussels public prosecutor’s office, which if they decide to prosecute will see the case brought to court.
It is unclear as to why EA has chosen not to remove the loot boxes from their games, but the company did state earlier this year that its games were “developed and implemented ethically and lawfully around the world”. They also expressed their disagreement over how its games could be considered as a form of gambling (note that the issue is not with the games, but with its loot boxes).
EA has yet to officially respond to the report so it is unclear as to how the company plans on proceeding. Unfortunately for EA, the compliance of other companies such as Blizzard, Valve, and 2K Games will probably not help either.