We are a couple of days away from Diablo Immortal launch and finally, the free-to-play MMORPG will arrive at Android and iOS stores and also as a beta for PC; however, some countries will not be able to enjoy it.
Activision Blizzard will not launch Diablo Immortal due to restrictive legislation in Netherlands and Belgium, according to Dutch news outlet Tweakers.
It was reported by the communication manager of Activision-Blizzard Benelux that the game will not appear in these countries "This is related to the current operating conditions for games in those countries," Blizzard cites as the reason. The communication manager didn’t want to provide details.
As far as you pay money, it's forbidden
If you didn’t know The Belgian Gaming Commission has strict rules against loot boxes in games, that’s why many free-to-play games do not appear in Belgium.
On the other hand, in the Netherlands, according to the Dutch Gaming Authority, a loot box is only a game of chance if its content represents an economic value. That is, it should be possible to trade the virtual content for real money.
Again this was confirmed by a Blizzard employee in the Diablo Immortal subreddit:"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," the post read.
Most users on Reddit suggested the use of a VPN, however the statement also noted that “If you manage to run the game I cannot guarantee that you will not be banned for it.”
We know the strategies that mobile games use and we also know how predatory microtransactions may be, so we can understand the measures that some countries have taken.
Do you think this type of ban help? These regulations should be applied in more countries? Let us know in the comments below.
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