Epic intends to settle a class action lawsuit over the use of random outdoor cabinets Fortnite‘s Save the World “mode by paying affected players with money in the game. Rocket League players who previously purchased outside boxes in that game will also receive an in-game payment.
While Epic never offered outdoor cabinets Fortnitea mega-popular Battle Royale mode, it lets “Save the World” players buy ‘booty llamas’ full of random items until early 2019 (amid international outcry over the random outdoor box and the deal with gambling). Shortly after the practice ended, Epic faced a class action lawsuit alleging, among other things, that he “psychologically manipulated[d] his young players think they’ll be happy ‘. ”
Under a proposed settlement for the case, which, according to Epic, has received preliminary approval, all players who bought a loot lama at any one time will be rewarded with $ 1,000 (about $ 8). Although the US lawsuit is settled, Epic says the same agreement will apply to everyone Fortnite players worldwide.
Rocket League players will also receive 1,000 credits (worth approximately $ 9.10) if they purchased a random Event Crate or key in the game before Epic discontinued it in October 2019 (only months after purchase) Rocket League developer Psyonix). Players of both games do not have to do anything to claim the benefit, which will appear in their accounts in the coming days.
A marketing purchase?
Epic estimates about 6.5 million Fortnite players and 2.9 million Rocket League players receive the automatic virtual currency payments, according to The Verge. This indicates a rough valuation of more than $ 78.3 million in digital reward payments as part of the settlement.
However, the actual cost that Epic has incurred for giving away is likely to be much lower. The distribution of the pure virtual currency involves minimal direct costs for Epic and only involves an indirect cost in the sense that it replaces the purchases of virtual currencies that the players would have made anyway. Some players who expire do not use their digital windfall at all, while others, regardless, would not spend any extra money in the game.
In a way, digital giveaways can even be seen as an effective promotion, attracting players to the games, thus creating the potential to spend more on extra micro-transactions. In that sense, the settlement is somewhat reminiscent of a Nintendo pricing case that the company settled with prosecutors in 1991. The payout there comes in the form of a $ 5 coupon that could only be redeemed by purchasing additional Nintendo products, a marketing purchase that Nintendo is probably sad that it did not come up with itself.
In addition to the virtual currency, Epic also offers up to $ 26.5 million in cash and other benefits to the US Fortnite and Rocket League players “to settle the claims. These cash payments (up to $ 50 per claimant) will only be available to players who file an active claim form stating that they believe their purchase is ‘consumer fraud’ or breach of contract. bought an outer box “with [their] own money and without parental consent “are also eligible for a cash refund of up to $ 50 if they file a claim.
“We believe players need to know in advance what they are paying for when making purchases in the game,” Epic wrote in a tweet announces the move today. “That’s why today we only offer X-Ray Llamas that show you the content before you buy it in ‘Save the World'” (and similarly transparent blueprints in Rocket League).
While some European countries have banned outdoor gambling as a form of illegal gambling, legislative efforts to regulate the practice in some U.S. states (and the U.S. Senate) have generally stalled after gaining some momentum in 2018 and 2019.