Groups urge U.S. to probe ‘loot box’ on Digital Arts video game

WASHINGTON, June 2 (Reuters) - Consumer advocates on Thursday urged U.S. regulators to research video game maker Electronic Arts Inc (EA.O) for what they say was the misleading use of a digital "loot box" that "aggressively" urges gamers to spend extra money while playing a well-liked soccer game.

The teams Fairplay, Heart for Digital Democracy and 13 other organizations urged the Federal Trade Fee to probe the EA recreation "FIFA: Final Workforce".

In the sport, players build a soccer workforce using avatars of real players and compete in opposition to other teams. In a letter to the FTC, the groups said the sport often costs $50 to $100 but that the company pushed push gamers to spend more.

Register

"It entices gamers to purchase packs seeking particular gamers," mentioned the letter despatched by these teams along with the Shopper Federation of America and Massachusetts Council on Gaming and Health and others.

The packs, or loot packing containers, are packages of digital content material generally bought with real money that give the purchaser a possible benefit in a recreation. They are often bought with digital forex, which may obscure how a lot is spent, they said.

"The probabilities of opening a coveted card, comparable to a Player of the 12 months, are miniscule until a gamer spends 1000's of dollars on factors or plays for 1000's of hours to earn cash," the groups mentioned within the letter.

Digital Arts mentioned in a statement on Thursday that of the game's tens of millions of gamers, 78% haven't made an in-game purchase.

"Spending is at all times optionally available," an organization spokesperson mentioned in an e mail statement. "We encourage the use of parental controls, including spend controls, which can be out there for each major gaming platform, together with EA's personal platforms."

The spokesperson also said the company created a dashboard so players would monitor how a lot time they played, what number of packs they opened and what purchases have been made.

The FTC, which works after firms engaged in misleading habits, held a workshop on loot bins in 2019. In a "employees perspective" which followed, the agency noted that video game microtransactions have change into a multibillion-dollar market.

Register

Reporting by Diane Bartz in Washington Editing by David Gregorio and Matthew Lewis

Our Requirements: The Thomson Reuters Trust Rules.