United Kingdom: Issued ASA ruling in an investigation into Hutch Games for allegedly omitting information in the App Store concerning in-app purchases

On 4 October 2023, the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) issued a ruling in the investigation into Hutch Games Ltd, a mobile game developer, for omitting the information about in-game random item purchasing, referred to as "loot boxes". The ASA stated that Hutch Games included in their app store listing that the game was free but included in-app purchases, noting that the "loot boxes" can be bought with real money or the game currency, which can be earned throughout the game. The presence of "loot boxes" was considered by AS as material information, making it subject to the Code of Non-broadcast Advertising and Direct and Promotional Marketing (CAP Code) obligations and disclosure requirements. The ASA stated that it is irrelevant if the "loot boxes" can be bought with the game currency and that it is sufficient that real money can be used to classify it as material information. The ASA ordered to update its app store listing and inform consumers that the game contains "loot boxes".