ASA ruled Kabam's Marvel Contest listing hid its loot boxes from buyers

The UK Advertising Standards Authority ruled against Kabam Games over the store listing for Marvel Contest of Champions, finding that the listing omitted crucial information about the game's loot boxes — purchases of random items that could significantly affect a consumer's decision to download or engage with the game.

The ASA found the omission breached Rule 3.3 of the UK Code of Non-broadcast Advertising (CAP Code), which mandates that material information is included — and its guidance is explicit that the presence of loot boxes is a material factor in a consumer's decision. Law firm CMS covered the upheld complaint in a Law-Now client alert published in December 2025.

The ruling's practical demand is transparency: developers must provide clear and accessible information about random-reward purchases so consumers are fully informed before deciding, a reminder that in-game purchase disclosure obligations extend to the listings themselves, not just in-game prompts.

ASA upheld the complaint under CAP Code Rule 3.3 and required the loot-box information to be made clear and accessible; the self-regulatory system levies no fine.

Loot boxes are randomised purchases: what buyers get is unknown until they pay, which is exactly why disclosure is material.

The omission sat in the listing itself, the point where download decisions are actually made.

The ASA treats app-store listings as marketing copy subject to the CAP Code, not neutral product metadata.

Kabam's scale — a Marvel-licensed flagship game — made the missing disclosure consequential for a large player base.

A store listing is an advertisement: if random-item purchases could change a consumer's decision to download, leaving them out is misleading by omission.

The ASA required the loot-box information to be included clearly, and CMS's December 2025 client alert put the case in front of games businesses as a compliance reminder. No fine was available under the self-regulatory regime.