Fortnite loot box llamas go 'see-through'

Fortnite-maker Epic Games says loot boxes in its hit video game will now let players see what is inside them before they buy them.

Many video games let players buy loot boxes, which typically contain a random selection of in-game items or customisations.

But players do not usually know what is inside loot boxes before they pay, so they have been compared with gambling.

Epic Games will now let players see what its loot boxes contain.

In 2018, Belgium ruled that loot boxes broke gambling laws and banned them. Other countries are now scrutinising them.

Fortnite's loot llamas can be purchased using the in-game currency V-bucks. Currently, 1,000 V-bucks cost £7.99.

The loot llamas are available to buy in the Save The World game mode. The more popular Battle Royale mode does not have loot boxes for sale.

"Starting in update v7.30, any llama available in the V-bucks store will show its contents without requiring a purchase," Epic Games said in a blogpost.

"We believe it's important that the llamas you buy have what you want."

The company has already programmed its llamas so that they do not offer paying customers items they already own in most cases.

The loot llamas available to buy will refresh every day to offer a new selection of items.

The change does not affect the llamas players can earn for free by playing the game. The contents of those will still remain a surprise.

It also has no effect on the llamas found on the map in Fortnite Battle Royale, as those are not loot boxes and players do not get to keep what is inside them after a game has ended.