Blizzard Disables Loot Boxes in Belgium

Blizzard announced that paying for loot boxes in Overwatch and Heroes of the Storm has been removed for Belgium Players due to their Gaming Commission’s report from Apri, the option falls under gambling according to local law.

While Blizzard disagrees with this decision, they have removed the option in order to comply with this decision. Players will still be able to attain the boxes by performing well in-game, such as leveling up in Overwatch, or by purchasing them with in-game currency. In-game content has not been affected by this removal.

In April 2018, the Belgian Gaming Commission published a report that was endorsed by the Belgian Ministry of Justice in which they concluded that paid loot boxes in Overwatch are considered gambling under local law. While we at Blizzard were surprised by this conclusion and do not share the same opinion, we have decided to comply with their interpretation of Belgian law. As a result, we have no choice but to implement measures that will prevent Overwatch and Heroes of the Storm players located in Belgium from purchasing in-game loot boxes and loot chests with real money and gems. 

No matter what, we want to make sure that our players around the world have the best entertainment experience possible. While players in Belgium will no longer be able to purchase paid loot boxes in Overwatch and loot chests in Heroes of the Storm, they’ll still be able to earn them by playing the games, and they’ll still have access to all in-game content. 

These measures will be implemented shortly. We also remain open to further discussions with the Belgian Gaming Commission and Ministry of Justice on this topic.