Groups urge U.S. to probe ‘loot field’ on Electronic Arts video game

WASHINGTON, June 2 (Reuters) - Shopper advocates on Thursday urged U.S. regulators to analyze online game maker Electronic Arts Inc (EA.O) for what they are saying was the misleading use of a digital "loot field" that "aggressively" urges players to spend extra money whereas enjoying a popular soccer recreation.

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

Within the sport, gamers build a soccer workforce utilizing avatars of real gamers and compete against other teams. In a letter to the FTC, the teams stated the game often prices $50 to $100 but that the company pushed push players to spend extra.

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

The packs, or loot packing containers, are packages of digital content material sometimes purchased with real cash that give the purchaser a possible advantage in a recreation. They are often purchased with digital forex, which can obscure how much is spent, they said.

"The possibilities of opening a coveted card, corresponding to a Player of the 12 months, are miniscule unless a gamer spends hundreds of dollars on factors or plays for thousands of hours to earn cash," the teams mentioned within the letter.

Electronic Arts stated in a statement on Thursday that of the sport's tens of millions of gamers, 78% have not made an in-game buy.

"Spending is always non-obligatory," an organization spokesperson stated in an e mail statement. "We encourage the use of parental controls, together with spend controls, which are available for every main gaming platform, together with EA's own platforms."

The spokesperson additionally mentioned the company created a dashboard so gamers would track how much time they performed, how many packs they opened and what purchases had been made.

The FTC, which works after corporations engaged in misleading behavior, held a workshop on loot packing containers in 2019. In a "workers perspective" which followed, the company noted that video game microtransactions have become 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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