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Pan European Game Information (you probably know them better as PEGI) has confirmed it will begin rolling out a warning for in-game purchases on video game boxes towards the end of the year.
The new icon will be slapped on the boxes of all titles that include the option to use real money to purchase digital content. PEGI is currently using the 'in-game purchases' warning on digital titles, so it's not really a shocker to see it make the transition to physical goods.
'Considering that physical releases are an important part of the market, this was an important gap to fill,' commented PEGI's Simon Little.
'For a parent who may not be fully familiar with the video games landscape, seeing this simple descriptor on the packaging of a game they consider buying should trigger the reflex of keeping an eye on the gameplay, once the game has been purchased and given to the child. It's basic information, but that's what parents sometimes feel they are lacking.'
Yesterday it emerged that Overwatch developer Blizzard Entertainment will be removing the option for paid loot boxes in Belgium, as its inclusion is directly at odds with the country's gambling regulations.
Perhaps the biggest controversy surrounding in-game purchases came with Star Wars Battlefront II last November, where the backlash from fans was so severe that developer DICE temporarily removed them from the game.
Microtransactions are now back in the mix, although they've been tweaked so that they now only offer cosmetic items.
