Ubisoft’s response to loot box controversy makes sense

Fans recently found out that Ubisoft’s new game Trials Rising game would have a loot box system. Although the developers explained that loot drop will contain only cosmetic items, many fans were left unhappy.

A Ubisoft employee defended the idea of having loot boxes. Here is how it was put:

Yes, it means that some players end up spending more on our games than others and that does result in increased profits for us. It also helps us to put more money into new titles and to understand what players look for in their games. If players simply didn’t buy these crates, they would not be added into games in the future.

It’s too early to exculpate loot box system, but what Ubisoft representative said actually makes sense: don’t spend money on a thing and it won’t be released in the next game. And if you want to support the developer, loot boxes are a fun and nice way to do it. There is also a problem of gambling addiction, but we don’t close the tobacco and alcohol stores because people get addicted to those things either.

Loot box systems can have a right to exist, but need to be approached very carefully so that they don’t interfere with core game experience (that’s why Battlefront II was flamed so much). Players also need to have a choice of using the loot boxes or not using them to allow people with addictive tendencies keep enjoying the game with low risk of relapse.

An example of a bad loot box system

One thing to bear in mind is that loot box drop needs to be put in a separate category. I’ll use Blizzard’s Heroes of the Storm as an example of a game which a bad loot box system. When you open a box in that game, 9 times out of 10 you get pointless drop like sprays, skins and voice lines that no one gives a flying f*ck about. But once in a blue moon, you unlock important stuff like a hero or a stimpack (higher gold yields for a limited time) bonus.

In the case of HotS, you feel you should open those crates because otherwise, the character unlocking process gets longer. If there was no chance to draw stimpack or a character, most of the players would just ignore loot boxes and be perfectly happy about it.

Is there a game with a loot box system that you like? Let us know in the comments.