EA has now become the prime target of a class-action lawsuit filed in Canada over the use of Loot Boxes in video games. The defendants claim that loot boxes constitute a type of unlawful gambling.
“A game of chance inside a videogame,”
Lawsuit
“Gaming is strictly controlled and licensed in this country. In breach of these laws, the defendants have operated an unlicensed, illegal gaming system through their loot boxes. Through this suit, Canadian consumers seek to hold the defendants accountable for this unlawful conduct, and to recover their losses.”
Lawsuit
It also held video game developers accountable for including addictive gaming elements like loot boxes to increase their monetization and have earned hundreds of millions of dollars through the same, exploiting the players in the process.
In this lawsuit, two plaintiffs are involved, one in British Columbia and one from Ontario. They previously purchased loot boxes in EA’s Madden NFL and NHL series, though the lawsuit covers a much wider variety of games.
Many games are now under fire through this lawsuit, with all of them being games from EA. Here they are:
- FIFA 09-21
- Madden NFL 10-21
- NHL 11-21
- NBA Live 14-19
- UFC 2 and 3
- Apex Legends
- Battlefield 4
- Battlefield Hardline
- Battlefield 1
- Dragon Age Inquisition
- Mass Effect 3
- Mass Effect Andromeda
- Need for Speed Payback
- Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare and Garden Warfare 2
- Plants vs. Zombies 2: It’s About Time
- Star Wars: The Old Republic
- Command & Conquer: Rivals
- Heroes of Dragon Age
- Star Wars: Galaxy of Heroes
- The Sims Mobile
- Warfriends
“Loot boxes are considered part of the compulsion loop of game design to keep players invested in a game. Such compulsion loops are known to contribute towards videogame addiction and are frequently compared to gambling addiction. This is in part due to the use of a ‘variable-rate reinforcement schedule’ similar to how slot machines dole out prizes and it is especially dangerous for children. The random element also makes players more likely to pay for the chance to ‘win’ an item from a loot box.”
Lawsuit
If you wish to read the entirety of the lawsuit, here it is, courtesy of The Patch Notes:
But one fascinating aspect of this lawsuit is how, when it comes to loot boxes, EA’s most notorious title, Star Wars Battlefront 2, was not included in the list of games.
Perhaps it’s because of all the media attention the game has already gotten and how Respawn Entertainment has continuously tweaked and improved the system.
“Restitution of the benefits received by the defendants in the full amount of the takings or in the alternative, disgorgement of the benefits received by the defendants on account of the wrongdoing,” along with other damages and compensation along with injunctions against loot boxes being used in games.
Lawsuit
Yeah, that’s going to cost EA a pretty penny.
Regardless, all we can do is wait and see how EA responds to the lawsuit and what direction this lawsuit takes in the future.
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