Back in May, Epic Games acquired both the popular title Rocket League and its developer Psyonix. That being the case, no one is really surprised to learn that the game quickly began enacting loot box practices and mechanics that are almost identical to the ever popular Fortnite. However, Psyonix recently announced that loot boxes will be replaced later this year, with a system that “shows the exact items you are buying in advance.”
The studio noted that this change is practically the same as “changes implemented earlier this year by the Fortnite Save the World team.” It’s quite similar to the new transparency of Fortnite’s loot boxes, in which the player can literally see what items are in a loot box before they buy it. If they don’t like what is inside a particular box, they can wait for it to refresh and get a different one. We are making this change so we can show you the rewards of each [loot box] one at a time, which gives you more choice in the [loot boxes] you decide to open,” Epic said.
However, Psyonix did not specify when these changes will occur, and whether or not they will completely remove randomized boxes or if it will just make those randomized boxes transparent. It is very likely that loot boxes themselves aren’t going anywhere however, seeing as how they didn’t leave Fortnite either. And it certainly isn’t like micro-transactions are going anywhere either, as Psyonix clearly stated “Rocket Pass Premium, DLC Cars, and Esports Shop items will continue to be offered for direct purchase.”
This new change to loot boxes isn’t just specific to Epic and Psyonix though. In fact, according to the ESA, many publishers and developers are agreeing to a very similar system, in which players will be able to see what they are paying for prior to actually paying for it. Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo have all allegedly agreed to voluntarily make these changes, along with several other big publishers. This could largely be due to the heavy whiplash loot boxes have gotten recently, and the fact that more and more countries are looking into legal ways to regulate loot boxes as they are now, as well as fine companies that use them.
Needless to say, there probably aren’t too many gamers that will be sad to see randomized, blind loot boxes go, regardless of what game they play. After all, no one likes to spend a lot of money for a mere shot at getting something good, only to be completely and totally disappointed when they get nothing of any actual value instead. Even so, some people will likely still find reason to complain about loot boxes, no matter how much more tolerable they become.
