In-Game Purchase Warning to be Added to Physical Boxes by EU Games Rating Board

PEGI, the European games rating board, has announced that by the end of the year, physical game editions will be labeled with a warning about in-game purchases. The image (seen after the jump) features a hand wielding a credit card with the "in-game purchases" description beneath it. While the warning label has been present on digital editions, this marks a new ruling for boxed editions.

As noted by GamesIndustry.biz, the move comes on the heels of recent controversy over in-game purchases and rulings made in Belgium and The Netherlands stating that loot boxes constitute a form of gambling.

"For a parent who may not be fully familiar with the video games landscape, seeing this simple descriptor on the packaging of a game they consider buying should trigger the reflex of keeping an eye on the gameplay, once the game has been purchased and given to the child. It's basic information, but that's what parents sometimes feel they are lacking."