A class action lawsuit has been filed in Canada against EA games for its use of loot boxes in its video games.
The suit charges that the company is profiting from what is essentially a gambling scheme. Loot boxes offer randomized game items that are unseen until after the purchase. Since players value some items over others – in some cases even trading and selling the items – critics say the use of the loot boxes is essential a gambling scheme as players hope for more valuable items.
The lawsuit is similar to one filed in August in California over the use of loot boxes in the game FIFA Ultimate Team. Both suits charge that the use of loot boxes is gambling.
The Canadian suit was filed by two players who bought loot boxes in EA’s Madden NFL games and other games focusing on the NHL.
According to local reports, the lawsuit cites gambling rules in Canada’s Criminal code. The country has no specific laws addressing video game loot boxes.
The suit also points to international precedents in Japan, Korea, the Netherlands and Belgium – among others – which have all passed regulations concerning loot boxes.
Though several jurisdictions have regulated the boxes, others, such as New Zealand and France, have ruled that the boxes are not gambling. EA has maintained that players purchasing the boxes always get a fair return of game items.
