Belgium is no fan of loot boxes. The country's gaming commission has declared that they can be a form of gambling, making them illegal.
At least three games, Overwatch, FIFA 18 and Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, are violating the country's gambling laws by incorporating paid loot boxes, the Belgian Gaming Commission said on Wednesday.
According to the commission, paid loot boxes are essentially a game of chance. Players who purchase them may receive a valuable virtual item, or something worthless. The problem is that children —one of the main audiences for these games— can end up buying loot boxes, which has worried the commission and helped prompt its investigation.
The commission said that the developers behind the three game titles must remove the paid loots boxes or face possible penalties. The punishments can include a five-year prison sentence for the game's operators and a fine of up to 800,000 euros ($973,000).
"When minors are involved, those punishments can be doubled," the commission added.
Belgium is the latest country to crack down on loot boxes. Last week, a regulator in the Netherlands issued a similar ruling, and demanded that four games modify or remove them by mid-June.
Belgium's gaming commission first began investigating loot boxes when the game Star Wars: Battlefront II sparked a whole controversy over the way it implemented them. Critics called the loot boxes "pay-to-win" elements that gave buyers an unfair advantage over other players who didn't pay for them. In response, Electronic Arts later dropped the loot boxes from the game.
In a statement, Belgium's minister of justice Koen Geens said he wants to start a dialogue with game developers over the issue.
On Thursday, Electronic Arts said it welcomed the dialogue. Although it's Star Wars: Battlefront II game wasn't found in violation of Belgian's laws, another one of its titles, FIFA 18, was.
Electronic Arts didn't say whether it would change any content in the game. The company also didn't mention whether it'd take the more drastic option of ending the game's sale in the country.
However, the company said: "we do not agree that our games can be considered as any form of gambling."
"We strongly believe that our games are developed and implemented ethically and lawfully around the world, and take these responsibilities very seriously," the Electronic Arts added.
So far, the other publishers of the the games haven't commented on the Belgium ruling. For gamers who don't like loot boxes, PCMag has a guide on several great titles without them.
Editor's note: This story has been updated with comment from Electronic Arts.