After years of waiting, the community Diablo will finally be able to lay their hands on the final version of Diablo Immortal, which will be released on June 2 in France. But with our Belgian and Dutch neighbors, this launch does not take place.
European Union countries have been tightening their laws on loot boxes for several years, as we have seen with Fifa or Star Wars Battlefront II. It is therefore no surprise that Blizzard confirms today to comply with the laws of Belgium and the Netherlands: Diablo Immortal will not be available in these territories, as relayed by the Polygon site on May 31, 2022.
This is not the first time that a publisher has chosen not to distribute its games in Belgian and Dutch territories, for fear that the economic model of its games contravenes local legislation. This is particularly the case for Amazon Games for Lost Ark.
Belgium and the Netherlands have adopted strict legislation which assimilates video game loot boxes to the legal regime of gambling prohibited for minors. Local authorities consider in particular that loot boxes help to accustom young players to the mechanics of gambling. This is not the case in France, where the game comes out well on the night of June 1 to 2, at midnight.
What are loot boxes?
The loot box is virtual loot, generally presented in the form of a chest, containing one or more objects and offering the player improvements in the game, which can range from the simple customization of a character, to the acquisition of new functionalities.
The loot box can be free or paid. In the second case, it is part of the business strategy of video game publishers, allowing them, via a certain amount of money, to make players pay for developments that would have required hours of play in normal times (XP, weapon upgrades…).
Diablo Immortal will not be available in Belgium and the Netherlands
Diablo Immortal obviously falls under Belgian and Dutch legislation — if Blizzard ensures that all of the game’s content is accessible free of charge while playing, the game nevertheless includes the possibility of buying keys with the title’s premium currency to access certain dungeons and open special chests with random content.
The information is even confirmed on Reddit: an employee of Blizzard Europe responds to a player wondering about the subject. The player shares the studio’s response: it will not be possible to install the game from the Netherlands or Belgium “.
“It is illegal to attempt to circumvent these restrictions “adds the Blizzard employee, referring to the use of a VPN or changing its location on Battle.net, for example. In this case, players could expose themselves to a ban (temporary or permanent). It is therefore up to everyone to take their responsibilities, at their own risk and peril.