Fortnite Maker Epic Games Settles Loot Box Lawsuit With In-Game Currency

Epic Games said it would automatically drop 1,000 V-Bucks into accounts of players.

By Agence France-Presse | Updated: 23 February 2021 11:20 IST

Fortnite Maker Epic Games Settles Loot Box Lawsuit With In-Game Currency

Settlement came in a class action case representing people in the US who played with a Fortnite account

Highlights

Mystery loot boxes require players to take chances on contents
Mystery loot boxes have been controversial, equated by some to gambling
Rocket League players who qualify will get 1,000 credits to accounts

Epic Games put out word it is paying the equivalent of about $8 (roughly Rs. 580) worth of its virtual money to some players to settle a lawsuit over loot boxes.

The Fortnite maker said it would automatically drop 1,000 V-Bucks into accounts of players who bought Loot Llama pinata-style figures containing in-game items, without knowing what was inside until they had already purchased them.

"While some of you enjoyed purchasing random item Loot Llamas and being surprised by the content unlocked, others were disappointed," Epic said in a blog post.

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"So we decided a better experience for players was to be upfront and outline the details of in-game purchases."

Mystery loot boxes requiring players to take chances on contents have been controversial, equated by some to gambling, and have prompted legal woes for video game makers.

"We're dropping 1000 V-Bucks into the accounts of all players globally who bought a random item Loot Llama in STW before we stopped offering them," Epic said in a tweet.

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We're dropping 1000 V-Bucks into the accounts of all players globally who bought a random item Loot Llama in STW before we stopped offering them. No action needed, if you purchased this item you should see the V-Bucks in your account over the next few days https://t.co/l4VR5MTZl9
— Fortnite (@FortniteGame) February 22, 2021

"If you purchased this item you should see the V-Bucks in your account over the next few days."

The settlement came in a class action case representing people in the United States who has played with a Fortnite or Rocket League account since July of 2015.

Rocket League players who qualify will get 1,000 credits to accounts used to acquire random-item "crate" loot boxes, according to Epic.

"The proposed settlement is not an admission of wrongdoing by Epic Games, and it denies that it violated the law," the website maintained.

The settlement also provides $26.5 million ((roughly Rs. 190 crores) to resolve claims by US players arising from in-game purchases.

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