Groups urge U.S. to probe ‘loot box’ on Electronic Arts online game

WASHINGTON, June 2 (Reuters) - Consumer advocates on Thursday urged U.S. regulators to analyze video game maker Digital Arts Inc (EA.O) for what they say was the deceptive use of a digital "loot field" that "aggressively" urges gamers to spend more money whereas taking part in a popular soccer recreation.

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

In the sport, players construct a soccer workforce utilizing avatars of real gamers and compete against different groups. In a letter to the FTC, the groups said the sport normally prices $50 to $100 but that the company pushed push players to spend extra.

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"It entices players to buy packs in search of special players," said the letter sent by these groups together with the Consumer Federation of America and Massachusetts Council on Gaming and Health and others.

The packs, or loot containers, are packages of digital content material sometimes bought with real money that give the purchaser a possible benefit in a sport. They can be purchased with digital foreign money, which may obscure how much is spent, they said.

"The chances of opening a coveted card, equivalent to a Participant of the Year, are miniscule until a gamer spends hundreds of dollars on factors or performs for hundreds of hours to earn cash," the groups stated in the letter.

Digital Arts stated in a press release on Thursday that of the game's millions of gamers, 78% have not made an in-game purchase.

"Spending is at all times non-compulsory," a company spokesperson mentioned in an e-mail statement. "We encourage the use of parental controls, including spend controls, which can be obtainable for each main gaming platform, including EA's own platforms."

The spokesperson additionally mentioned the company created a dashboard so players would observe how a lot time they performed, how many packs they opened and what purchases have been made.

The FTC, which goes after corporations engaged in misleading conduct, held a workshop on loot packing containers in 2019. In a "employees perspective" which followed, the agency noted that video game microtransactions have become a multibillion-dollar market.

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

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