An unnamed young gamer has filed a lawsuit against Nintendo due to the “immoral” loot boxes thatMario Kart Touronce had. The mobile kart racing game came out in 2019, and within the space of a year and a half,Mario Kart Tourhad been downloaded 200 million timesand generated about the same number in lifetime revenue.
Despite its popularity,Mario Kart Tourhad gacha microtransactions, a controversial feature for many gamers. Though somewhat expected in mobile releases, it seemed a particularly egregious decision coming from Nintendo, a games industry leader that reports annual revenue in the billions. And the link between gacha, loot boxes, and gambling has long been debated, especially when it comes to the potential negative influences such mechanics may have on children.
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Originally filed in a California court on March 17, a complaint against Nintendo from an unnamed minor was moved to federal court on May 17 and could potentially become a class-action lawsuit. With the assistance of a guardian, the complainant specifically calls outMario Kart Tour’s “Spotlight Pipe” loot boxes, which gave players a random in-game reward in exchange for five Rubies. According to the suit, this equates to “anywhere from $2.60-$3.32 for a single draw,” and the minor ended up charging $170 to his father’s credit card, mostly without permission, while playing the game.
Though theSpotlight Pipe loot boxes were removed fromMario Kart Tourin September 2022, the lawsuit points out that Nintendo failed to refund the money players had already spent on them. The company’s conduct, according to the complaint, is “immoral, unethical, oppressive, unscrupulous, and/or substantially injurious to consumers.” It goes on to accuse Nintendo of benefiting from “addictive behaviors” that are similar to gambling.
Mario Kart Touris currently available on Mobile.
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