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It’s become depressingly common for video games to implement loot boxes as a monetization scheme, but gamers are increasingly up in arms about it. Last year, the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) pledged to investigate the use of loot boxes in games, and now we know how it’ll start. On August 7th, the FTC will hold a public workshop on loot boxes, and you’ll be able to watch it live.

No one has ever been pleased that loot boxes existed in games, but the uproar was confined to gaming communities until EA messed with Star Wars. The beta test for Star Wars Battlefront II revealed a loot box system that made hero characters incredibly costly to unlock. EA took so much heat online that it had to temporarily remove loot boxes and revamp the in-game economy.

Battlefront II isn’t alone — loot boxes are featured in games like Apex Legends, Overwatch, FIFA, and more. Some countries have taken steps to limit the use of loot boxes, which many gamers consider akin to gambling. For example, EA had to remove loot boxes from its FIFA games in Belgium.

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