Engadget Logo Japanese version of Engadget Apple filed class action proceedings for allowing in-app paid gacha

It has been revealed that Apple has filed a class action lawsuit in the United States for making a profit by allowing a loot box (paid gacha) in the game app distributed on the App Store.

Plaintiffs accuse Apple of "relying on instilling addictive behavior in children to generate enormous profits," according to a complaint filed in the Federal District Court for the Northern District of California. And over the last four years, games in the App Store claim to have generated billions of dollars in sales from r-root boxes, even if most of them were available for free download.

For example, one of the plaintiffs, Rebecca Taylor, claims that her son spent at least $ 25 on an iTunes card and parents' money on a loot box in Supercell's "Brawl Stars." Other complaints mention the names of famous games with gacha elements such as "FIFA 18" and "Mario Kart His Tour".

A loot box is a "booty box" in which multiple items are packed together, and it is a billing system whose contents change randomly, which is equivalent to a "paid gacha" in Japan. It has been illegal in Belgium so far, and the U.S. Senator has submitted a ban bill in May 2019, responding by requiring both Apple and Google to specify the probability of getting items in the game app. increase.

In this plaintiff's allegation, Apple implicitly admits that the loot box is gambling by specifying the "odds to win", but the loot box is in the game. Notification is not required. On the other hand, developers can also set their own age limits for apps, making it possible to include gambling elements in apps that are intended for children. The argument is that this falls under California's banned "slot machines or similar equipment" (in the state, gambling is illegal).

At the time of writing the article, the future of the class proceedings is unclear, but as mentioned above, in Belgium, where smartphone games with gacha elements are illegal, "Animal Crossing Pocket Camp" and "Fire Emblem Heroes" have ended their services, and "Mario Kart Tour" "Is not delivered in the first place. Depending on the proceedings of the proceedings, it is possible that the app will not be delivered depending on the country or region, or it may affect the method of monetizing the app.

Source: Scribd

Via: AppleInsider