Judge Sides With EA Over Loot Box Gambling Accusation

gamerant.com:

A Canadian judge has rejected a plaintiff's claim that EA's loot boxes should be considered «unlawful gaming,» but has allowed the class-action lawsuit to continue due to a separate accusation. The implementation of loot boxes in gaming has faced increased scrutiny in recent years, with EA often finding itself at the forefront of such legal disputes.

Mentioning loot boxes around gamers is likely to leave a sour taste in their mouth, as the practice has been thoroughly condemned by the general gaming community. The discourse surrounding the supposed predatory nature of the monetization practice reached a fever pitch in 2017 following the release of Star Wars Battlefront 2, a multiplayer title published by EA that (at launch) included what is widely considered one of the most egregious versions of loot boxes yet seen in the industry. Many dubbed the experience pay-to-win given that iconic characters such as Princess Leia and Darth Vader were effectively stuck behind a paywall. The backlash was so intense that Belgium banned loot boxes, making it illegal for them to be purchased with real-life currencies. EA has consistently opposed such moves.

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So EA was understandably pleased to see judge Justice Fleming claim that loot boxes in its video games do not constitute «unlawful gaming,» believing that the accusation was «bound to fail.» Mark Sutherland has filed a class-action lawsuit on the behalf of all residents in British Columbia who have purchased loot boxes in EA games since 2008, the first of many legal proceedings due to go ahead against video games companies in the province. Sutherland alleges that EA is guilty of «deceptive and unconscionable acts or practices,» as outlined by