Omeed Dariani, CEO of Online Performers Group has spoken out in the midst of the current controversy surrounding loot boxes in gaming.
Dariani, who leads one of the biggest management companies for YouTube and Twitch stars, has announced that game publishers have been known to offer his clients money in exchange for them opening loot boxes on stream.
Speaking at a loot box workshop hosted by the U.S. Federal Trade Commission in Washington D.C [via Polygon], Dariani said: “Companies do pay for that sort of thing,
“It’s pretty uncommon for it to specifically be, ‘Hey, just open a bunch of loot boxes.’ But, we’ve definitely seen that.”
Dariani continued: “I’ve definitely been in a room where a publisher said, ‘We could do better odds on the packs that this person opens for promotional purposes.’
“That’s only been one time.”
According to the CEO, it’s something that’s seen more in the esports world than in general livestreaming or gaming channels, but it’s apparently not that uncommon.
“Content creators very often open the loot boxes because audiences really enjoy that,” Dariani said. “It’s exciting, right? You don’t know what’s gonna come out. You don’t know if they’re going to get the rare stuff and hey, I don’t have thousands of dollars to spend on buying my own loot boxes, so I can watch someone else do it and sort of live vicariously through them.”
The comments come at a time when loot boxes are – once again – a hotly debated topics.
Loot boxes are randomised in-game add-ons that can be purchased in a ‘crate’ using IRL money. Thanks to the randomisation some countries, including Belgium, have decreed that the mechanic is actually a form of unregulated gambling. Other countries have taken a stance on how these boxes are marketed – especially to children and younger gamers.
The controversy continues.
Featured Image Credit: Pixabay