Are we on the cusp of the end of loot boxes? These microtransactions are getting a new hit. Austrian court considers them part of gamblingruled in favor of several FIFA players, including one minor, and ordered the company to refund money spent on mod packs. FIFA Absolute Team.
Interestingly, the players were not suing Electronic Arts, the publisher of FIFA, but Sony. Purchases were made on the PlayStation Store and Sony will return 338.26 euros (almost 8000 CZK). The decision is not yet final. It is likely that Sony will file an appeal, as it has previously unsuccessfully petitioned for a court hearing in Vienna or possibly London.
The lawsuit was filed in 2020 and was heard by a small court in the Hermagor area. He believes that loot boxes in FIFA are a gamble, since their contents can have a greater or lesser monetary value than the value of the package itself. In theory, this gives a financial advantage to those lucky enough to receive a valuable item..
Source: Blizzard20 European organizations have joined the fight against loot boxes, including the Czech representative office
Richard Able, chief executive of litigation finance company Padronus, says that the verdict is a signal for the entire video game industry. This is the first such case in Austria and Germany. It remains to be seen how the appeal will turn out. Lawyer Michael Lienhard believes the decision paves the way for the fight against loot boxes.
Last year, the highest administrative court in the Netherlands overturned Electronic Arts’ penalty for loot boxes in FIFA. Initially, the company had to pay 10 million euros.
Meanwhile, FIFA 23 is on its way to becoming the best game in the series. This is also the last part called FIFA by EA. It will come out this year EA Sports FC.
Source :Indian TV
