EA Sports FC 27 gets a PEGI 16 rating in Europe because of loot boxes

European game rating agency PEGI has begun increasing its age ratings for games that contain "paid random items," a process that's seeing games initially rated as low as PEGI 3—suitable for all age groups—bounced directly to PEGI 16.

Word of the change came from Connor Hindle, policy manager of the UK's Games Rating Authority. "Since June, newly submitted games have been assessed against an expanded set of criteria within the PEGI rating framework, including new criteria relating to interactive risks," Hindle wrote on LinkedIn (via GamesIndustry). "As the UK administrator of PEGI, the Games Rating Authority has now begun applying these updated criteria to selected existing digital products."

These changes were announced in March, and are part of PEGI's new "interactive risk categories" that include "purchases of in-game content, paid random items, communication features, and features that incentivise players to continue playing." …