Groups urge U.S. to probe ‘loot field’ on Electronic Arts video game

WASHINGTON, June 2 (Reuters) - Shopper advocates on Thursday urged U.S. regulators to investigate video game maker Electronic Arts Inc (EA.O) for what they say was the misleading use of a digital "loot box" that "aggressively" urges players to spend more cash while taking part in a well-liked soccer sport.

The teams Fairplay, Center for Digital Democracy and 13 other organizations urged the Federal Trade Fee to probe the EA game "FIFA: Ultimate Group".

In the recreation, gamers construct a soccer staff utilizing avatars of actual gamers and compete towards different teams. In a letter to the FTC, the groups said the sport often prices $50 to $100 but that the corporate pushed push gamers to spend more.

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

The packs, or loot packing containers, are packages of digital content generally bought with real money that give the purchaser a potential advantage in a sport. They can be bought with digital forex, which may obscure how a lot is spent, they said.

"The probabilities of opening a coveted card, reminiscent of a Participant of the 12 months, are miniscule except a gamer spends hundreds of dollars on points or plays for 1000's of hours to earn cash," the groups said in the letter.

Electronic Arts stated in a press release on Thursday that of the game's tens of millions of players, 78% have not made an in-game buy.

"Spending is at all times non-compulsory," a company spokesperson mentioned in an e mail assertion. "We encourage using parental controls, including spend controls, that are obtainable for each main gaming platform, together with EA's personal platforms."

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

The FTC, which matches after corporations engaged in deceptive conduct, held a workshop on loot bins in 2019. In a "employees perspective" which followed, the agency noted that video game microtransactions have turn into a multibillion-dollar market.

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

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