-Ubisoft CFO Alain Martinez weighs in on the company’s recent introduction of loot boxes
Speaking during its quarterly chat with investors following its third-quarter financial release, Ubisoft execs Yves Guillemot and Alain Martinez addressed the topic of loot boxes now that a number of the company’s games offer the microtransactions.
In response to a question on the topic, chief financial officer Martinez noted that, for Ubisoft, proper use of loot boxes, and player recurring investment as a whole, boils down to offering players both quality and choice when it comes to the purchasing a box.
“On loot boxes, what we can say is that we define it as a question of quality and choice. As simple as that,” explains Martinez. “We need to deliver, for whatever we offer, the right quality for people to be interested. At the same time, they need to feel that they are really free to not buy it and that their choice is really a fact.”
He says that this philosophy informs how the developer introduces loot boxes to any of its games, ranging from Rainbow Six: Siege to Assassin’s Creed: Origins. He believes that, because the developer ensures that loot boxes are always an optional but rewarding path for the player to take, that loot boxes have been an effective and well-received means of monetization so far.
While many lawmakers, both in and out of the United States, have discussed regulating loot boxes, Martinez says that, as far as Ubisoft is concerned, regulation isn’t a huge issue.
“So we feel that we’re going in the right direction and we don’t feel that there’s a major issue or a major regularity issue that we should be facing,” he said.