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Nintendo’s Animal Crossing and Fire Emblem mobile games to be shut down in Belgium due to loot box law

Nintendo’s Animal Crossing and Fire Emblem mobile games to be shut down in Belgium due to loot box law

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Service for both games ends on August 27th

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Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge

Nintendo is pulling two of its popular mobile gamesAnimal Crossing: Pocket Camp and Fire Emblem Heroes — in Belgium at the end of August over concerns regarding Belgium’s recent laws that define in-game loot boxes as gambling, the company announced today (via Eurogamer).

“Due to the current unclear situation in Belgium regarding certain in-game revenue models, we have decided to end the service for Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp and Fire Emblem Heroes in Belgium. It will therefore no longer be possible to play and download the games from Tuesday 27 August 2019,” the company said in an official statement through its Belgian website.

Both Fire Emblem Heroes and Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp feature loot box-style systems: players in both games have to buy digital currencies, which they can then use to buy randomized characters and items. While the games do distribute limited amounts of the currencies for free, players are often encouraged to buy more outright, especially if they’re trying to get a particular rare item or character.

These games aren’t the first to be hit by Belgium’s new laws: Square Enix pulled three of its mobile games from the market last fall, and EA has stopped selling its in-game currency in FIFA 19 in Belgium as well.

Players will still be able to use up any in-game currencies they have left before the games stop working on August 27th. After that, Belgian customers won’t be able to play or download either title. Nintendo has also said that it won’t release any new games with similar monetization methods in Belgium moving forward.

The US Federal Trade Commission is already planning a hearing for loot box concerns later this year, so it seems likely that these games won’t be the last ones affected by the growing consensus against loot boxes.