While the world prepares for the release of Diablo Immortal, a surprise news came out. After the game was removed from App Store and Google Play in Belgium and Netherlands, people began asking questions. Activision Blizzard communication manager for Benelux countries confirmed that the game will not be released in Belgium and Netherlands due to legal issues.
A Blizzard employee explained it in Diablo Immortal subreddit, revealing the reason as the “gambling restrictions of Belgium and Netherlands”. Due to the loot boxes in Diablo Immortal, they are unable to release the game in these two countries. The employee also reminded people that they should not be downloading the game from another region’s app store as it is considered illegal.
Back in 2018, Belgian Gaming Commission stated that they consider loot boxes which are sold for real currency as gambling. They even recommended criminal prosecution against companies that sell them in games. Since then, games either remove loot boxes or do not release in these countries’ markets at all.
This does not seem like a final though, as under Dutch gambling laws, a ‘gaming licence’ (i.e. gambling licence) is only needed if the ‘game of chance’ aspect is a standalone product like a slot machine, rather than a single element of a larger game of skill.
