BBC Investigation Finds Large Number Of Best-Selling Mobile Games Fail To Identify Loot Boxes In Their Ads

Nearly 90% of the best-selling mobile game fail to mention the inclusion of loot boxes in advertising, according to a new investigation conducted by the BBC.

The corporation said in a report that the UK’s Advertising Standards Agency (ASA) will ban and remove ads for software if the ads fail to mention clearly the inclusion of loot boxes. The investigation looked at the 45 highest-grossing names on the Google Play Store, 26 of which are labelled to contain loot boxes.

However, only two out of the 26 titles made it clear of the inclusion of loot boxes from advertisements, while the others mention loot boxes by clicking on an information button via their listing on the Google Play Store listing. Monopoly Go is the highest-grossing title with loot boxes, and doesn’t mention this fact in its ads.

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Speaking with the BBC, Six to Start boss Adrian Hon said the games industry has a nasty habit of “conveniently ignoring or forgetting regulations that might interfere with their ability to sell to players.”

We know that many people, including children, struggle with overspending on loot boxes. The least that games companies could do is disclose the presence of loot boxes, but they won’t even do that – it’s an indictment of their priorities and lack of care towards vulnerable players.

[Source – BBC via VGC]