Home

 › 

Articles

 › 

Blizzard Boss Says Overwatch Not Part of Loot Controversy

Blizzard Boss Says Overwatch Not Part of Loot Controversy

Loot boxes have become a hot button topic in recent months. With many companies coming right out and saying that they’re in the business of making money, no matter how that happens, consumers are re-thinking things. Loot boxes and microtransactions have become so popular that we’re seeing them in practically every big name release. The most recent ones include Middle-earth: Shadow of War , Need for Speed Payback , Star Wars: Battlefront 2 , and Call of Duty: World War II .

One large company was part of the conversation from the very beginning: Blizzard. Their Overwatch crates partially started the dialogue about the loot crate phenomenon.  Blizzard President and Co-Founder Mike Morhaime told Game Informer Overwatch shouldn’t belong in that conversation. In a telling first response when asked about loot boxes, Morhaime brought up gambling. He seems to believe that loot crates and gambling could possibly be linked together, but only if people are selling their loot crates for real money. For Morhaime, that’s how loot crates become gambling, when players make real money off of them.

No matter how you view loot crates, Morhaime apparently believes that Blizzard, and Overwatch in particular, have no place in the controversy. According to him, the gambling correlation is the biggest problem, and Overwatch ‘s loot boxes aren’t gambling. Seems a bit like he’s missing the point, since fans are more upset that loot crates are the gaming industry’s blatant way of milking players for more money.

How do you feel about Morhaime’s reponse to the loot box conversation?

Sources: Game Informer

To top