Apple will soon require devs to disclose Loot Box odds

Apple have just updated their store guidelines which is bringing about a bunch of changes. The most important for us gamers is that the odds of receiving any given item from a Loot Box now has to be outlined prior to the users purchase. The guideline update can be found here, and the official statement reads as follows:

“Apps offering “loot boxes” or other mechanisms that provide randomized virtual items for purchase must disclose the odds of receiving each type of item to customers prior to purchase.”

This change is huge, with hidden odds being one of the big points of contention raised by those who dislike the Loot Box. Having hidden values only known by the developer was always treacherous territory. After all, how can we as a consumer possibly make an informed purchase when we don’t even know what we could be purchasing? Ultimately this change seems like a positive one to me. And I personally can’t wait to find out the real odds in Hearthstone, this could be interesting.

With the guidelines now updated it is expected that developers will need to begin abiding by the rules. How quickly Apple begins enforcing these rules is yet to be seen, but the change is happening.