Loot Boxes are Dead

Welcome to Lootbox - a weekly newsletter covering the business side of video games.

If you're not already subscribed... why not? https://lootbox.beehiiv.com/subscribe

What's in this Lootbox?

• 📦 Brawl Stars Removes Loot Boxes

• 💰 Little Vice Raises a Little Seed Round

• 🔨 Superman Leads Warhammer

• 📷 Meme

📦 Brawl Stars Removes Loot Boxes

On December 12th Supercell removed all loot boxes from Brawl Stars. Supercell has made most of their money from exploiting this predatory monetization method, but I applaud them from finally moving on from it.Hopefully if you’re reading this newsletter you know what a loot box is but if not, its a pure evil (and popular) monetization mechanic in the gaming industry. Let’s say a game comes out with a cool new Santa Claus skin. It looks awesome so you want to buy it. Instead of just buying it, you have to buy a loot box that only has a X% chance of actually having the skin you want. People have tried to rationalize it to consumers & regulators for years, but its straight up gambling and a toxic monetization strategy.

Now Supercell still needs to remove loot boxes from the rest of their games.

Loot boxes are particularly annoying to me because it has ruined the mobile version of my favorite video games Apex Legends. Apex Legends Mobile is nothing more than a casino dressed as a battle royale shooter, and it breaks my heart to see it. Giovanni should be ashamed.You might be wondering why I named this newsletter “Lootbox” if I’m so against them. You never know what is in a loot box until you open it, and sometimes its something really special. So I hope you continue reading & opening my Lootbox newsletter :)

💰 Little Vice Raises a Little Seed Round

Jarvi Games just scored a cool $3 million in a seed funding round, thanks to some big-name investors like Play Ventures, Velo Partners, and The Games Fund.

The studio, founded in 2021 by a group of gaming enthusiasts, is working on a Grand Theft Auto-inspired title called Vice Online. The new funding will help them bring their crime-filled virtual world to life by 2023. In the words of Alexander Lysenko, one of the founders, they're "committed to making bold and innovative moves" in the multiplayer games space. Time to start planning your heists, gamers!

Fun fact, the author of this newsletter has never actually played Grand Theft Auto.

🔨 Superman Leads Warhammer

Henry Cavill has head one heck of a week not to mention a year. He played Superman in all the recent DC movies and also played Geralt in Netflix’s Witcher series (not to mention plenty of other movie roles). And it looks like he’s been playing 3D chess this entire year.

Henry is stepping away from the Witcher series supposedly due to creative differences with the show runners. Henry is a big gamer and there’s been rumors the writers of the Witcher series don’t like or play the Witcher books and games. Season 3 will be his last season as the Witcher with Liam Hemsworth replacing him.

Ok cool so he’s out as the Witcher what’s next?

October 24th Henry posted on Instagram that he is rejoining the DC universe as Superman. He also had a cameo in the recent Black Adam film as Superman.

It doesn’t look like there was a full contract signed because just last week Henry posted on Instagram that he is actually NOT returning as Superman. Here’s what he posted:

Ok so he’s out as Witcher and Superman. What a bummer.

Less than 48 hours after posting the above on instagram news broke that Amazon Studios is commissioning a Warhammer 40000 series with Henry staring and executive producing the series. This is what he posted on instagram.

Ok so he’s out as the Witcher and Superman but now going all in on Warhammer. If you just read Henry’s side of the story it looks like he was playing 3D chess this whole year trying to land the Warhammer deal with Amazon Studios and staying as a free agent with Superman until the deal was certain.

Congrats to all the Warhammer fans. Condolences to all the Witcher fans.

📷 Meme

Henry Cavill this year.

Thanks for Reading :)

Feel free to share this with your friends and lmk what you thought of today's issue on Twitter @triviatroy