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

WASHINGTON, June 2 (Reuters) - Consumer advocates on Thursday urged U.S. regulators to investigate online game maker Electronic Arts Inc (EA.O) for what they say was the misleading use of a digital "loot field" that "aggressively" urges gamers to spend more cash while playing a popular soccer recreation.

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

Within the game, gamers build a soccer group using avatars of real players and compete towards other teams. In a letter to the FTC, the groups mentioned the sport usually prices $50 to $100 but that the corporate pushed push gamers to spend more.

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"It entices players to purchase packs looking for particular players," said the letter despatched by these groups together with the Shopper Federation of America and Massachusetts Council on Gaming and Well being and others.

The packs, or loot bins, are packages of digital content material generally purchased with actual money that give the purchaser a potential benefit in a recreation. They are often purchased with digital currency, which can obscure how a lot is spent, they mentioned.

"The possibilities of opening a coveted card, similar to a Player of the Yr, are miniscule unless a gamer spends thousands of dollars on points or performs for hundreds of hours to earn coins," the groups said in the letter.

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

"Spending is at all times elective," an organization spokesperson said in an e mail statement. "We encourage the usage of parental controls, together with spend controls, which can be obtainable for every main gaming platform, including EA's own platforms."

The spokesperson also said the company created a dashboard so players would observe how much time they played, how many packs they opened and what purchases had been made.

The FTC, which matches after companies engaged in deceptive habits, held a workshop on loot bins in 2019. In a "staff perspective" which followed, the company noted that online 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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