Blizzard faces parent’s proposed lawsuit over Hearthstone cards
Blizzard Entertainment and beleagured “loot box” mechanics are back in the legal crosshairs once again after an Arizona resident filed a proposed class-action lawsuit against the studio over its popular digital card-battler Hearthstone, currently played by millions on PC and mobile platforms.
As reported by Polygon, a Nathan Harris filed the suit with Orange County’s California State Superior Court on behalf of his daughter, a fan of the fantasy trading card game. Harris proposed suit concerns the randomized nature of Hearthstone’s purchasable card packs, which they believe “deceive” children and younger players with promises of rare cards without fully disclosing the odds.
Between 2019 and 2020, It is alleged that Harris’ daughter has spent in the region of $300 USD on Heartstone card packs via her father’s linked bank cards. According to Harris and his lawyers, the daughter “almost never received any valuable cards” and “did not understand” that she could not receive a refund post-purchase. Harris is suggesting that the class-action suit be opened to the parents of any younger players who have purchased Hearthstone card packs in the past, which obviously equates to thousands upon thousands of players.
Blizzard Entertainment has asked the court to move the case within the boundaries of its own jurisdiction: the United States District Court in the Central District of California. For this to happen, the studio is required to prove that any supposed damages payout, (if the lawsuit was a success), would surpass $5 million USD. Given Hearthstone’s popularity since its 2014 launch, this seems incredibly likely.
It should be noted that Blizzard has recently won a similar lawsuit over loot box purchases within arena shooter
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