 Loot boxes should be regulated under gambling laws, according to a House of Lords Gambling Committee review.
The committee’s chairman, Lord Grade, told the BBC that the “overwhelming majority” of the report’s recommendations could be implemented from today, as they do not require legislation.
Other countries have already taken action against the presence of loot boxes in gaming; Belgium’s Gambling Commission began a review of the practice in 2017 and eventually banned their use in games completely the following year, while the Netherlands deemed loot boxes that contained transferable items illegal. Dr Zendle, a Media Effects Researcher who provided written evidence for the report, suggests loot box spending could be linked to problem gambling in both adults and adolescents: “It may be the case that these things are linked because spending on loot boxes causes problem gambling. This is a credible explanation because loot boxes are very similar in many ways to gambling, and therefore may provide a gateway to it.” He also backed the committee’s proposal to intervene with how the gaming industry in the UK has been handling the loot box issue: “The ideal thing to have happened would have been industry self-regulation. It would have been some sort of big commitment from the video games industry to find out what is happening and do something about it. That has not happened. Therefore, I am not against the proposals… that some form of regulation external to the games industry is necessary.” Loot Boxes have long been a controversial subject in games, but the issue came to a head in 2017 with the release of Star Wars Battlefront II, with many fans outraged at the perceived ‘pay-to-win’ nature of the game’s progression system and the locking of certain characters and content behind paywalls. Such was the ire of the gaming community - and even a US politician, who labelled the game “a Star Wars-themed casino” at the time - that publisher EA had to revamp the game’s progression system following the huge backlash. Some studios have already begun moving away from their use – including EA with the recently announced Star Wars Squadrons - with many publishers instead introducing paid seasonal battle pass systems in their stead, but it remains to be seen how the industry’s biggest players will react. Will this report mark the end of loot boxes in the UK? Let us know your thoughts below.  M2H Games’ First World War-set multiplayer title, Tannenberg, will be making its console debut later this month on Xbox One and PlayStation 4.
M2H are handling all console development duties entirely in house – as they did with the recent Verdun remaster - in order to ensure Xbox One and PlayStation 4 users will be getting a “seamless multiplayer experience.”
“Following community feedback after the initial Verdun console release, we decided to handle all console versions of our titles in house - this started with the recent remaster of Verdun,” said studio co-founder Mike Hergaarden. “This gave us valuable experience with optimizing the UI, graphics and controls for Xbox One and PlayStation 4, and we got a lot of positive feedback from players. For the console version of Tannenberg we built it ourselves from the start.” To celebrate Tannenberg’s console debut, the brand-new map of Przemyśl, which features a heavily fortified town, is being added to the game and will be available across all platforms later this month. Tannenberg is currently available on PC via Steam and releases 24 July on Xbox One and PlayStation 4, with a 10% discount for those pre-ordering on the former platform. Did you play Verdun? Looking forward to seeing Tannenberg on consoles? Let us know below.  Sold Out and developer Metronomik have pushed back the release date for their musical-action title, No Straight Roads.
Xbox One and Switch versions of the game were announced earlier this year, with the latter benefitting from a few platform exclusive features, including a three-player co-op mode and touchscreen functionality.
No Straight Roads will be available to purchase digitally from 25 August on Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Switch and PC. The game is also getting a physical release on all three consoles, though the Switch edition will be released later. Disappointed by the delay? Let us know below. ENDED: Hotline Miami giveaway29/6/2020 
Harry Salomia is our Hotline Miami giveaway winner!
Cornfox & Bros. have released a cryptic tweet hinting at a possible Switch version of their Zelda-inspired adventure title, Oceanhorn 2: Knights of the Lost Realm.
As you can see in the above tweet from the developer, a ticket has been prepared for the game’s protagonist, Hero Arcadian, for a trip from the studio’s Helsinki home to Kyoto, which just happens to be the location of Nintendo’s headquarters, on 11 August.
It also mentions how Hero will be meeting some old friends who may be “planning a surprise.” Given the series’ inspiration and the fact the first game is already available on Nintendo’s hybrid console, a possible Oceanhorn 2 Switch announcement seems likely. Of course, without official confirmation from either party, this is all just speculation for now. We’ll just have to wait until later this summer to know for sure. Did you play the original game? Would you like to see Oceanhorn 2 on Switch? Marvel’s Avengers confirmed for Xbox Series X and PS5 with free upgrade for current-gen players23/6/2020  Square Enix have confirmed PS5 and Xbox Series X editions of their upcoming action-adventure game, Marvel’s Avengers.
Square Enix also confirmed there will be cross-play between the two generations, so Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5 users will be able to fully utilise the game’s online elements with their respective friends on Xbox One and PS4.
As for what improvements players will see in the next-gen editions, both will feature “extremely fast load times, boosted resolution and fidelity, improved texturing and armor destruction, ray tracing, and more,” while Square Enix also had this to say about the PS5 version: “The PlayStation 5 experience will be seamless and dynamic, fully utilizing the ultra-high speed SSD, the PS5 DualSense advanced haptics, and immersive spatial audio. To fully customize their visual experience, PS5 will also provide players with their choice of Enhanced Graphics Mode or High Framerate mode.” It’s not clear if similar features will also be available on the Xbox Series X, but more details about platform specific improvements – including for Stadia and PC - are set to be shared “at a later date” according to the press release. Marvel’s Avengers is out 4 September on Xbox One, PlayStation 4, PC and Stadia. Will you be taking advantage of the free upgrade to a next-gen edition? Let us know below. ENDED: Kero Blaster giveaway22/6/2020 
Millena Almeida is our lucky Kero Blaster giveaway winner!
DIRT 5 is coming to PC and current-gen consoles this October, next-gen version releasing later18/6/2020  Codemasters have revealed the release date for DIRT 5 as well as more details about the off-road racer’s career mode, which will star two of gaming’s most famous voice actors, Troy Baker and Nolan North.
The campaign will also feature one off “Throwdown” challenges for players to take on and support local multiplayer for up to four players. Additional drivers will replace AI racers and even help with career progress by earning Stamps, which can then be used to unlock the aforementioned final challenges.
DIRT 5 is out 9 October on Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and PC via Steam. An Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5 version is also going to be released at some point, but no date has been set yet. Share your thoughts on DIRT 5’s campaign news and possible next-gen release dates below or in the forums.  Australian indie developer Exbleative have released a new trailer for their “gravity-defying” exploration game, Exo One, in which you pilot a mysterious alien craft across strange planets.
While the freedom to explore various worlds seems to be the main draw of the game, there is also said to be a “minimalist yet mysterious” narrative about humanity’s first “ill-fated” mission beyond our solar system.
Exo One is scheduled to launch on PC sometime this year. There’s no solid release date just yet, but there is a demo currently available on the game’s Steam page. Let us know your thoughts on the game below or in the forums.  The Game Bakers, best known for their neon boss-rush title Furi, have released some new gameplay footage of their next project, Haven, which is coming to PC and consoles later this year.
While the fixed positions of battles appear to indicate a turn-based combat system, fights are actually said to be real-time, with players able to use abilities from each character to mitigate damage and deal out attacks against infected local fauna. Successfully winning an encounter cleanses said creatures of their infection.
We also got a look at some dialogue options and saw more of Yu and Kay’s upgradeable ship that serves as a home base, where it looks like players can craft meals and freely move the camera to explore the ship’s interior. Haven is out sometime this year on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PC and Xbox One, where it’ll also be available through the Xbox Game Pass subscription service. What do you think of the latest trailer? Let us know below. |
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