Name: Epic will pay off class-action loot-box settlement with in-game currency
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Epic will pay off class-action loot-box settlement with in-game currency

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Epic is set to settle a class-action lawsuit over its use of randomized loot boxes in Fortnite's "Save the World" mode by paying affected players with in-game currency.&nbsp;Rocket League players who previously purchased loot boxes in that game will also receive an in-game payment.While Epic never offered loot boxes in 's mega-popular battle royale mode, it let "Save the World" players purchase "loot llamas" full of random items (amid about the randomized loot-box business and its similarity to gambling). Shortly after ending the practice, Epic was faced with alleging, among other things, that it had "psychologically manipulate[d] its young players into thinking they will 'get lucky.'"Under for that suit, which Epic says has achieved preliminary approval, all players who purchased a loot llama at any time will be rewarded with 1,000 V-Bucks (worth roughly $8). Even though it's settling a US lawsuit, Epic says this same deal will apply to all Fortnite players globally.players will similarly receive 1,000 credits (worth roughly $9.10) if they bought a randomized Event Crate or key in that game before (just months after it ). Players of both games won't have to do anything to claim the benefit, which will appear in their accounts in the coming days.Epic estimates roughly 6.5 million Fortnite players and 2.9 million Rocket League players will receive the automatic virtual currency payments, . That suggests a rough valuation of over $78.3 million in digital reward payouts as part of the settlement. [Update:&nbsp;An Epic spokesperson has clarified to Ars Technica that these numbers only cover the US players who will be receiving the digital currency payout. An undisclosed number of non-US Fortnite&nbsp;players will also be receiving the 1,000 V-Bucks.]The actual cost incurred by Epic for the giveaway will likely end up much lower, though. Distributing the purely virtual currency incurs minimal direct costs for Epic and only poses an indirect cost in the sense that it replaces virtual currency purchases those players would have made anyway. Some lapsed players won't end up using their digital windfall at all, while others would not have spent any additional money in the game regardless.In a way, the digital giveaway could even be seen as an effective promotion, luring players back to the games and creating the potential for them to spend more on additional microtransactions down the road. In that sense, the settlement is somewhat reminiscent of a Nintendo price-fixing case that the company . The payout there came in the form of a $5 coupon that could only be redeemed by buying additional Nintendo products, a that Nintendo is probably sad it didn't come up with itself.In addition to the virtual currency, Epic will also be providing "up to $26.5 million in cash and other benefits to U.S.-based Fortnite and Rocket League players" to settle the claims. Those cash payments (of up to $50 per claimant) will only be available to players who&nbsp; establishing that they think their purchase constituted "consumer fraud" or breach of contract. Minors in California who purchased a loot box "with [their] own money and without parental permission" will also be eligible for a cash refund of up to $50 if they submit a claim."We believe players should know upfront what they are paying for when they make in-game purchases," Epic announcing the move today. "This is why today we only offer X-Ray Llamas that show you the contents before you purchase them in 'Save the World'" (and ).While European have banned loot boxes as a form of illegal gambling, legislative efforts to regulate the practice in US (and ) have by and large stalled after in 2018 and 2019.You must to comment.

Epic is set to settle a class-action lawsuit over its use of randomized loot boxes in Fortnite's "Save the World" mode by paying affected players with in-game currency.&nbsp;Rocket League players who previously purchased loot boxes in that game will also receive an in-game payment.While Epic never offered loot boxes in 's mega-popular battle royale mode, it let "Save the World" players purchase "loot llamas" full of random items (amid about the randomized loot-box business and its similarity to gambling). Shortly after ending the practice, Epic was faced with alleging, among other things,...

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Kyle Orland is the Senior Gaming Editor at Ars Technica, writing primarily about the business, tech, and culture behind video games. Kyle has journalism and computer science degrees from University of Maryland and has previously written for Joystiq, Crispy Gamer, Gamasutra, MSNBC, NPR, Electronic Gaming Monthly, Gamespot, and The Escapist, among others. His latest book, The Game Beat, collects two decades of columns examining the way game are covered in the mass media.

https://arstechnica.com/author/kyle-orland/

Kyle Orland

Ars Technica is a website covering news and opinions in technology, science, politics, and society, created by Ken Fisher and Jon Stokes in 1998. It publishes news, reviews, and guides on issues such as computer hardware and software, science, technology policy, and video games. Many of the site's writers are postgraduates and some work for research institutions. Articles on the website are written in a less-formal tone than those in traditional journals. Ars Technica was privately owned until May 2008, when it was sold to Condé Nast Digital, the online division of Condé Nast Publications.

Epic will pay off class-action loot-box settlement with in-game currency

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