loot boxes Archives

AppWizard

June 30, 2026

ESA Lobbyist Calls Private Minecraft Servers Illegal During Hearing

Jennifer Gibbons, Vice President of State Government Affairs at the Entertainment Software Association (ESA), stated during a California State Senate hearing that community servers for Minecraft and Call of Duty are "illegal" and equate to "piracy." She mentioned that the ESA has pending lawsuits against private servers and that the United States Trade Representative (USTR) has identified some private servers as notorious markets for piracy. Gibbons' comments were challenged by Assemblyman Chris Ward, who noted the existence of community servers for both games. An ESA representative later clarified that Gibbons was responding to a complex question and that private servers hosting copyrighted content without authorization infringe on the intellectual property rights of game publishers. The ESA reported a total revenue of ,614,556 in the fiscal year ending March 2025, with ,804,681 from member dues.

AppWizard

June 12, 2026

Dutch non-profit set to take Valve to court for keeping game prices high

The Netherlands' Consumer Competition Claims Foundation (CCCF) has launched a campaign against Valve, the parent company of Steam, alleging unfair commercial practices related to Valve's 30% commission on game sales, which they claim inflates prices across all PC storefronts. The CCCF argues that this commission structure pressures publishers and developers to raise prices, affecting competitive pricing on other platforms like the Epic Games Store and Microsoft Store. They also allege that Valve prohibits publishers from offering lower prices on competing platforms and has engaged in "geo-blocking" to restrict the activation of Steam keys purchased in Eastern Europe for use in Western Europe. Valve president Gabe Newell denies these allegations, asserting that there is no policy preventing lower pricing on other platforms. The CCCF claims that Dutch gamers may have overpaid by more than 220 million euros due to these practices. Legal challenges against Valve are mounting, including a class-action lawsuit concerning loot boxes and an antitrust suit from Wolfire Games.

AppWizard

June 3, 2026

Gabe Newell Says Players Have ‘Enormous Choice’ When Pressed on Steam Monopoly Accusations, Report Says

Gabe Newell, founder and president of Valve, denied allegations that Steam operates as a monopoly, stating that gamers have numerous purchasing options beyond Steam, including consoles and other platforms like the Epic Games Store. Steam has maintained its dominance in the digital PC gaming market for over a decade, with a 60% increase in its user base in the past five years, reaching around 42 million active users. Despite competition from Epic Games, which offers an 88% revenue share to developers, it has not displaced Steam. Newell also addressed claims that Valve restricts pricing strategies for publishers on non-Steam platforms, asserting that Valve does not dictate pricing to third-party developers. Valve is currently facing multiple lawsuits, including an antitrust case and another related to loot boxes.

AppWizard

May 29, 2026

An EVE newbie got an impossibly rare $7,000 ship out of a free loot box, leaving him set for life in the space MMO: ‘Everyone gets this for free, right?’

At the close of 2025, a relatively new player in EVE Online, with six months of experience, acquired a Titan-class Molok ship valued at approximately 700 billion ISK. This player successfully sold the ship after a tense negotiation, allowing him to cover his subscription costs. The Molok, introduced in 2017, is a rare strategic asset with only four destroyed and a kill count of 4,782. During an event by Fenris Creations, only three Molok blueprints were obtained by players, making this player one of the few to acquire one. The player sold the Molok almost instantly at the buyout price of 700 billion ISK and decided to invest in a long stretch of game time through an Omega premium subscription. Despite his newfound wealth, his daily gameplay remained largely unchanged, focusing on mining and manufacturing ships.

AppWizard

May 27, 2026

‘This world means so much to us’: Overwatch’s game director celebrates its 10 year anniversary by mapping out how it all began

Team 4 is celebrating the tenth anniversary of Overwatch with nostalgic game modes, exclusive cosmetics, and loot boxes. Game director Aaron Keller shared that development began in mid-2013 after the cancellation of Project Titan. He revealed that some concepts from the abandoned project influenced Overwatch, including character Cole Cassidy. The team had a limited time to pitch Overwatch and focused on seamless information delivery in gameplay, such as health indicators and sound cues. Character designs were initially met with skepticism but later generated excitement. Iconic maps like King's Row and Throne of Anubis were developed, with Anubis being the first completed map after extensive conceptual work. Keller expressed gratitude to the community for their support over the past decade.

AppWizard

May 21, 2026

I’ve played 1000s of hours of Overwatch but it wasn’t until its new Anniversary game mode that I discovered I have no clue what the hell I’m doing

Overwatch is celebrating its 10-year anniversary with a new game mode called Mystery Showdown. In this mode, players select a role queue for balanced teams and swap heroes upon securing an elimination or achieving three assists as a support. A mercy feature is available for players struggling to find their footing. The mode introduces a structured approach while maintaining the chaotic fun of hero switching, leading to humorous and unexpected gameplay experiences.

AppWizard

May 16, 2026

Overwatch slaps a loot box band-aid on its disappointing tenth anniversary event, promising more later

Overwatch is celebrating its tenth anniversary, but the event has received mixed reactions from players. While the game had a revival earlier in the year with new heroes and updates, the anniversary offerings are seen as modest, featuring basic character skins and limited loot boxes. Game Director Aaron Keller acknowledged the community's disappointment and expressed a desire for the year to feel like a celebration. Plans for a season-long event in Season 3 include more rewards and expanded earnable content. In response to feedback, Blizzard will increase rewards for the anniversary event, doubling community loot boxes in week two and tripling them in week three. The number of games required to earn all 15 anniversary loot boxes has been reduced to 60, with wins counting as double. Players will receive a special ten-year anniversary loot box in week three containing four guaranteed legendary skins, raising the total to ten. However, the absence of mythic skins and the lack of access to older cosmetics have disappointed many long-time players. Keller indicated that rewards could extend beyond loot boxes, and he appreciates the community's engagement over the past decade.

AppWizard

May 16, 2026

Overwatch’s lackluster 10th anniversary event will have its rewards improved next week, with more free stuff planned for later this year

Players expressed disappointment with Overwatch's 10th anniversary event, which featured loot boxes primarily containing recolored skins and a few sprays, falling short of expectations for a significant milestone. Historically, previous anniversary events included a wider selection of items, leading players to hope for a similar experience this time. The Chinese version of the event offered exclusive skins from past seasonal battle passes, further highlighting the disparity. Blizzard's Keller acknowledged player feedback and announced upcoming improvements to the reward system, including a new event with more rewards and additional free cosmetics later in the year. While initial reactions to these announcements were mostly positive, some players remained dissatisfied, advocating for more premium skins. The community's sentiment indicated that a more substantial array of cosmetics would have better honored the game's decade-long impact.

BetaBeacon

May 11, 2026

How to play Steam PC games on Android phones and tablets (for real)

Valve released Proton in 2018, a fork of Wine that improves Linux compatibility with Windows games. By 2024, it became possible to run full-blown PC games from 1997 to 2005 on phones with Snapdragon processors. In 2025, GameSir released GameHub, allowing users to play Steam games on Android devices. Other open-source projects like GameNative and GameHub Lite have since improved the gaming experience on Android devices.

AppWizard

May 8, 2026

Overwatch’s Junkrat’s Loot Hunt event is back this weekend, and I can’t wait to get trash from my loot boxes

Junkrat's Loot Hunt event returns this weekend, offering players the chance to earn double XP while participating in daily multiplayer matches. Players can accumulate points towards rewards, with victories counting as double points. The event allows participants to earn up to nine standard loot boxes, beneficial for those close to the 20-pull Legendary pity threshold. Custom games are excluded from the event, and points do not carry over between reward milestones. The event runs from April 8 to April 12.