US Senator to introduce bill that will ban lootboxes and pay to win mechanics

the end of MUT?

https://www.theverge.com/2019/5/8/18536806/game-studios-banned-loot-boxes-minors-bill-hawley-josh-blizzard-ea

Quote from Khaos116 >> Those who spend money flood the market with cards....which allows nms players to buy cards at reasonable prices.  So what do you think will happen when you remove the money spenders???

 The balance of power tilts towards the grinders, right?

Those who spend money flood the market with cards....which allows nms players to buy cards at reasonable prices.  So what do you think will happen when you remove the money spenders???

Oh ok. Thanks. I've got a sick feeling we're gonna get a Sims model for Madden in the next few years. Where you buy Madden then the $49.99 MUT Expansion Pack with team specific DLCs (uniforms, stadiums, playbooks, etc...) for $19.99 and finished off with "Stuff" packs for $2-$15 (Coins, Badges, "Quest items"...) I mean, it has worked for EA with the Sims franchise for as long as I can remember.

not that its the end but that MUT will need to change something

Quote from Y4wgm0th >> Quote from ickabod1119 >> EA this year put a percentage on the rarity of a card being pulled from a pack, how can you legislate and say the Company is misleading the customer. If this Legislation goes into effect shouldn't this also harm CCG's like MTG, YU-GI-OH or Pokemon. To many companies with deep pockets will fight this.

They could just partner w a sports card company and make the cards in game redeema let for collectibles and it would bypass this.

Quote from boxcar31 >> Here's what I would do if I were EA king of the day and this went through and I could no longer sell packs.

You buy the game in August and it's free to play and get card upgrades until mid October. Now there are tiered packages at the beginning that give you better cards the higher you go in price.

You have your solo's and you can grind and win cards going up to the mid to high 80's levels. Then in late October we offer tiered subscription services. Now you NMS guys can continue with the game and earn things through grinding, working the auction house and everything that you do now. Nothing changes as far as that is concerned. The guys who bought the game can still enjoy it at a baseline rate like they do now. I'd do everything to keep it interesting in terms of content through the year.

Quote from diimsday1044 >> I wonder if the packs are considered loot boxes

Yes, by the definition of the legislation introduced in the US and that actually implemented overseas (e.g. Belgium), they qualify as a "loot box".

Interesting a Republican proposed this bill

that means representatives from both sides have voiced concern over the current state of “loot boxes” in games today.

I’ll tell you this much, EA will invest waaaaaaaay more money into lobbyist and campaign funds that it ever will in the actual game or improving madden

All EA has to do is guarantee you something within the pack. 

This pack contains Deion Sanders, Randy Moss and Lawrence Taylor set pieces.

Here's what I would do if I were EA king of the day and this went through and I could no longer sell packs.

You buy the game in August and it's free to play and get card upgrades until mid October. Now there are tiered packages at the beginning that give you better cards the higher you go in price.

You have your solo's and you can grind and win cards going up to the mid to high 80's levels. Then in late October we offer tiered subscription services. Now you NMS guys can continue with the game and earn things through grinding, working the auction house and everything that you do now. Nothing changes as far as that is concerned. The guys who bought the game can still enjoy it at a baseline rate like they do now. I'd do everything to keep it interesting in terms of content through the year. 

Now Auction House and trading remains unchanged so if you can figure out those systems you can work your way to get a good team. I would also have to provide some good content to keep you interested so I do not lose you as customers.

ok

I wonder if the packs are considered loot boxes

Quote from ickabod1119 >> EA this year put a percentage on the rarity of a card being pulled from a pack, how can you legislate and say the Company is misleading the customer. If this Legislation goes into effect shouldn't this also harm CCG's like MTG, YU-GI-OH or Pokemon. To many companies with deep pockets will fight this.

 It's not misleading but they can still argue it promotes gambling addiction and all that stuff. If the bill only applies to video games then CCG's wouldn't be affected. Like I said in my post above I doubt it passes though.

Either way MUT certainly won't die if this happens. Couldn't EA just get around it by offering packs for in game currency (coins) only and then selling coins?

... until EA writes a check to his campaign.

Couple things on this that have probably already been stated.

—This is a stunt to generate “hush money” from the industry

—Even if it were passed and signed into law that would be worse for us who don’t spend or only spend a little here and there. EA would just simply sell coins and/or players. Take color smash promo for example. 40 bucks for a hero card so 120 to just buy your way to the set. Would gaurentee ROI for the people who spend 250/month on the game but for the rest of us it would take away the possibility of a 10 dollar investment turning into a 700k card.

—Something like this that would fundementally change a major industry would take years to work out. No fundemental changes to Mut until at least M23.

Doubt it will pass but I'm fine if it does as far as lootboxes and RNG related stuff goes. Pay to win is fine. I don't like it but it's not shady or underhanded if you know what you are getting (which you don't when you buy packs on Madden for example).

The fact anybody spends money on packs in this game is proof it’s all a gambling/pack addiction. I spent money but let’s face it you get into h2h and unless you just cheese tf out of the game the programming decides who wins or loses. It all depends on who gets the blocksheds, whose guy catches or randomly drops the ball, who gets an animation, whose guys block runs, etc. if that doesn’t prove some regulation is needed for public safety I don’t know what will.

Quote from Littlejohn02 >> It says EA had to remove them already in Belgium. So how does MUT work in Belgium then without the selling of packs? 

Great question! Packs can still be purchased with in-game earned currency... but NOT with purchased currency. Using the MUT translation, that would be coins only packs, but the game would eliminate "points" completely.  Quote from jcsteel66