With the release of Diablo Immortal this week, fans of the Diablo series are surely excited. Unfortunately, fans in the Netherlands and Belgium shouldn’t get too excited as Diablo Immortal will not be released in those countries. The reason behind the delay involves both countries’ respective laws against loot boxes in videos game like Diablo Immortal.
Why Diablo Immortal is Banned in The Netherlands and Belgium?
Like most mobile games, Diablo Immortal will be using the free-to-play model. This means that while the game may not cost anything to play, the developers will make money from things such as lootboxes or cosmetic items. Many European countries have passed laws prohibiting lootboxes in the past few years. In 2018, Belgium declared them illegal. In 2020, The Netherlands banned them and threatened to fine any company that broke this law.
Keeping this in mind, it makes sense why Diablo Immortal won’t be released in these countries. This was confirmed when Tweakers, a Dutch news site, was told by an Activision communications manager that the game wouldn’t be released in either country. Over at the Blizzard subreddit, a spokesperson for the company confirmed the same with this statement: “The lootboxes 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.”
Players who manage to download Diablo Immortal in either country could risk being banned. This is not the first time anti-lootbox laws have prevented a game from being sold. Companies like EA and Nintendo stopped selling games featuring lootboxes after these laws had been passed. Blizzard ceased all sales of lootboxes when the Belgium ban went into effect back in 2018. Judging by the statements from Blizzard employees, it doesn’t seem that Diablo Immortal will ever release in either country.
Published: May 31, 2022 12:55 pm