EA Continues to Face Legal Woes Over Loot Boxes
A class-action lawsuit has officially been filed against EA Games in Canada over randomized loot boxes. The plaintiffs basically argue that Electronic Arts is profiting off an illegal gambling business by selling randomized loot boxes for cash. The Canadian Criminal code apparently alleges that loot boxes should be considered gambling, so the plaintiffs in this class-action lawsuit could have a case. The lawsuit includes loot box purchases since 2008, which includes a long list of titles including Madden, FIFA, NHL, and the infamous Star Wars: Battlefront II.
A summary of the full Notice of Civil Claim has been officially posted by a website known as The Patch Notes, and it claims that “the plaintiffs are essentially claiming that EA is operating an unlicensed gambling business, in breach of the aforementioned Criminal Code and other statutes. They are also claiming EA is liable to them at common law, including in unjust enrichment.” This is a class-action lawsuit against EA, meaning the plaintiffs are suing not only on their own behalf but on behalf of everyone else in Canada who bought any loot boxes in any games published by EA since 2008.
Both of the plaintiffs who filed the recent class-action lawsuit against EA have been big spenders of EA Sports loot boxes, with one spending money on Madden, and the other focusing on NHL. Gambling-relevant sections of Canada’s Criminal code apparently allege that loot boxes should also be considered a type of gambling, so these plaintiffs and other Canadians impacted by EA loot boxes over the years may have a case. Considering how many people have been buying loot boxes in EA games since 2008, EA may have quite the hefty bill to pay after this lawsuit.
Are you a Canadian that purchased EA loot boxes between 2008 and today? Let us know in the comments below!