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

WASHINGTON, June 2 (Reuters) - Client advocates on Thursday urged U.S. regulators to investigate video game maker Electronic Arts Inc (EA.O) for what they say was the deceptive use of a digital "loot box" that "aggressively" urges players to spend more cash whereas enjoying a preferred soccer game.

The teams Fairplay, Middle for Digital Democracy and 13 different organizations urged the Federal Commerce Commission to probe the EA game "FIFA: Final Crew".

In the game, gamers build a soccer team utilizing avatars of real gamers and compete against other teams. In a letter to the FTC, the teams said the game often prices $50 to $100 but that the company pushed push players to spend more.

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"It entices gamers to purchase packs in the hunt for special gamers," said the letter despatched by these groups together with the Client Federation of America and Massachusetts Council on Gaming and Well being and others.

The packs, or loot packing containers, are packages of digital content material generally purchased with actual money that give the purchaser a possible advantage in a sport. They are often purchased with digital forex, which can obscure how much is spent, they said.

"The possibilities of opening a coveted card, similar to a Participant of the 12 months, are miniscule unless a gamer spends thousands of dollars on points or plays for hundreds of hours to earn coins," the groups mentioned within the letter.

Electronic Arts mentioned in an announcement on Thursday that of the sport's thousands and thousands of players, 78% haven't made an in-game purchase.

"Spending is at all times non-obligatory," an organization spokesperson mentioned in an email assertion. "We encourage the use of parental controls, together with spend controls, that are available for every main gaming platform, including EA's own platforms."

The spokesperson additionally mentioned the corporate created a dashboard so players would monitor how much time they played, how many packs they opened and what purchases have been made.

The FTC, which works after firms engaged in misleading behavior, held a workshop on loot bins in 2019. In a "workers perspective" which followed, the company famous that online game microtransactions have grow to be a multibillion-dollar market.

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

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