'Overwatch' news 2017: Blizzard forced to reveal loot box probabilities in China

A new Chinese law has forced Blizzard to reveal the drop rates of each loot box in "Overwatch." YouTube/PlayOverwatch

Unfortunately for Blizzard Entertainment, a new law in China forces them to unveil the very contents of the loot boxes in "Overwatch." This covers everything from sprays to emotes to skins, among others. As a result, this gives the entire community a heads-up as to what the drop rates are.

It is worth noting that "Overwatch" has become one of the franchises in the studio's resume to hit the billion-dollar mark. Hence, people are more interested in knowing the aforementioned rates. Basically, each of the loot boxes should contain four items, which could be anything from cosmetics to in-game currency.

As for the rare ones, each of them should only contain one (be it rare or higher). The epic quality, in particular, is synonymous to 5.5 loot boxes. Simply put, on an average, in every 5.5 loot boxes, there is a possibility of epic quality (only one, though).

For the legendary quality in "Overwatch," Blizzard has made it possible for an item of such quality to be acquired in every 13.5 loot boxes. This means that the higher the quantity of these boxes being opened, the more chances of acquiring a higher quality of loot. It is a simple calculation, so to speak.

Forbes said that based on the report the studio provided to China, there is around 18 percent chance for players to obtain an epic item in a loot box. If they hope for a legendary quality, they are entitled to a chance of 7.4 percent. This report should be enough to satisfy both China and the players around the world, given how shady the video game company has been when it comes to such areas.

Eurogamer noted, however, that the aforementioned figures might not be the same in other regions. The numbers Blizzard provided to Chinese officials could possibly different from other countries. Nevertheless, it is still interesting to see and understand how the loot boxes in "Overwatch" work.

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