Since its debut in 2020, the popular open-world action RPG gacha game Genshin Impact has convinced players to purchase in-game items and currency with real-world money. Today, the game’s parent company, HoYoverse, may have to send some of that money back to players following a settlement with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC).
According to an article from Bloomberg, the FTC is near the end of its negotiations with HoYoverse to settle a case which began last summer over the loot box currency system in Genshin Impact. The terms of the deal have yet to be disclosed, but it will likely include a rebate of some amount to players that invested lots of money into the game.
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Genshin Impact does not have a traditional loot box system like other gacha games. Rather, it has a complex gacha system allowing players to convert real money into in-game currency, which allows players to make a “wish” for specific characters or rare items. Yet, there are no guarantees that the wish will be successful, and the system has been compared to online gambling.
It remains unclear if the FTC settlement will compel HoYoverse to change the way it makes money from players over premium purchases. The United Kingdom’s government has refused to create laws against loot boxes, preferring the video game industry to police itself.
Hearthstone, the famous trading card game by Blizzard, was one of the first games to popularize loot boxes and one of the first to face backlash from players regarding it. This issue will likely continue to cause controversy, no matter the developer.