- Joined
- Apr 27, 2022
Apparently Belgium and the Netherlands won't be getting the game because lootboxes and all. Though that would surprise me because they changed Overwatch and Heroes of the Storm so that any IP from those countries couldn't buy them. I was never locked out of either of those games so they'll probably change that too.
The problem appears to be related to loot boxes, and specifically laws against them in those countries. Dutch gaming site Tweakers(opens in new tab) (via Google Translate(opens in new tab)) reported that a few days after Diablo Immortal pre-registration went live in the App Store and Google Play, it was disabled in Belgium and the Netherlands. An Activision Blizzard rep told the site that the removal was "related to the current operating conditions for games in those countries."
The matter was further clarified by a message shared on the Diablo Immortal subreddit(opens in new tab), purportedly from a Blizzard support agent. "Unfortunately players in the Netherlands and Belgium will not be able to install Diablo Immortal due to the countries' gambling restrictions," it says. "The loot boxes in the game are against the law in your country, so unless gambling restrictions change the game will not be released in the Netherlands and Belgium."
The message also warns that it's illegal for citizens of Belgium and the Netherlands to download the game from a different country, and even if you don't get busted for your scofflaw ways, you might get banned—although "in similar situations in the past where RNG loot boxes were against the law in certain countries we did not ban any players for it," the rep added.
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