A common practice for a free-to-play game nowadays is apparently to add microtransactions, so it could extend its lifetime by earning some profit. One of them is releasing very soon (June 2nd) and that is Diablo Immortal. Diablo Immortal is another game in the Diablo series and will be the first one that will be free-to-play.
According to a Dutch news outlet, Tweakers, Blizzard will not release Diablo Immortal in Netherlands and Belgium. This is likely due to the loot box laws and regulations in these two countries, which contradicts the implementation of such a feature in-game. At least they oppose or disagree with Activision Blizzard’s current MT feature pattern.
Furthermore, the news outlet reported that there’s no way for the game to launch in these two countries simply due to the legislation against loot boxes in Belgium. This is not the first time seeing the Belgian Gaming Commission addressing and reacting to these issues, preventing real money from correlating with an in-game advantage.
There’s no more uncertainty over this question, as Diablo Immortal’s release block is confirmed by Activision Blizzard, which openly stated that Diablo Immortal will not launch on Mobile or PC in Netherlands and Belgium on June 2.
Another statement by a Blizzard employee shared on the Diablo Immortal subreddit states the following:
The loot boxes in the game are against the law in your country, so unless the gambling restrictions change, the game will not be released in the Netherlands and Belgium.
This means that Blizzard has brought their pay-to-win game to a whole new level, undoubtedly ridiculing most of the franchise’s fans. This pay-to-win phenomenon is compelling as it leaves players powerless in their effort to prevent this from being a thing in video games. Especially nowadays, where quantity overwhelms quality.
