EA Games is facing yet another class-action lawsuit but this time in Canada. The lawsuit is similar to the one going on at the moment in California and related to loot boxes in EA Sports games. In short, the lawsuit claims EA Games is profiting off an illegal gambling business by selling randomized loot boxes for cash. In August, the same lawsuit was filed against the company in California.
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Both lawsuits allege that FIFA’s Ultimate Team Mode is essentially gambling. In addition, while the drops are always guaranteed, players don’t know what they will get. The lawsuit is being brought against EA by two individuals who describe themselves as customers of EA. One claims to have purchased loot boxes for EA’s Madden NFL games while the other bought loot boxes for NHL. However, the class-action lawsuit is being brought against EA on behalf of everyone who purchased loot boxes to any EA title since 2008.
If EA loses this case, the company may have to pay up quite a lot of money. In addition, the cases once again shed light on the “gambling versus loot box” fiasco which is an issue in modern games. Many countries around the world have already begun banning the use of the feature in video games. Other countries require publishers to warn potential buyers of the in-game stores. At the moment, loot box inquiries are in progress both in the US and in the UK to determine whether or not they are gambling. However, these two new cases have no ties with any government regulation which means if they are successful, perhaps countries will start paying more attention to the issue.
