Lootbox laws are reportedly keeping Diablo Immortal out of 2 countries

Diablo immortal, Blizzard Entertainment’s free-to-play game Diablo, launches Wednesday on Windows PC and mobile devices. However, it will reportedly remain offline in two European countries: Belgium and the Netherlands.

This is due to the strict loot box laws of these countries, according to a report by GamesIndustry.biz and Dutch website tweakers. Also, according to reports, a Blizzard support employee said one Reddit user

that it is due to game restrictions. Previously, Blizzard simply phased out loot box systems the Belgian releases of its gameshow over watch and Heroes of the Storm. Representatives have said the move is intended to comply with the rules of the Belgian Gambling Commission. But instead of choosing not to bring Diablo immortal to Belgium and the Netherlands could be an indication of how entangled these systems are in this game.

Blizzard did not respond to Polygon’s request for comment.

Blizzard showed some of them Diablo immortal

‘s cosmetic and customization options for March’s mobile game. it said Diablo immortalThe new class change system would help with that, with plans to “release a new cosmetic set for all classes each month,” each fitting the Battle Pass theme. Battle Passes are a staple of free-to-play games that require players to purchase the pass to unlock rewards for playing.

However, Blizzard has said that all Diablo immortalCustomizable gear can be earned through play, not just through purchases.

Like Belgium, the Netherlands has previously ruled against loot boxes in games, particularly in fifa 21‘s Ultimate Team mode. However, that ruling was overturned in a 2022 court case that ruled that card packs do not qualify as gambling under Dutch law.

Diablo immortal, first announced at BlizzCon 2018, was developed by Blizzard and NetEase. The game was pushed back to 2022 in August 2021 following feedback from the game’s alpha testing periods.