According to a recent Axios report, the plaintiff alleges that Nintendo practiced “immoral” microtransactions for the Mario Kart Tour mobile game.
Stephen Totilo of Axios just reported on a potential class-action lawsuit against Nintendo for the way it promoted Spotlight Pipes, the mechanism in the game that delivers in-game rewards. According to the report:
The suit calls for refunds for all minors in the U.S. who paid to use Mario Kart Tour’s “Spotlight Pipes,” which delivered players in-game rewards using undisclosed odds.
According to the suit, originally filed in March, Nintendo utilized what is known as dark patterns, or what the FTC describes as practices intentionally designed to trick and trap consumers.
In this case, the plaintiff spent more than $170 on Mario Kart Tour via his father’s credit card, which was linked to their Nintendo account. In September 2022, Nintendo discontinued using their Spotlight Pipes instead of replacing it with a Spotlight Shop, where players can use in-game currency to purchase skins and cosmetics directly.
In March, we reported on the FTC fining of Epic Games that accused the company of the same “dark patterns” which aimed to get consumers to make unintended purchases.
Similarly, the popular Activision-Blizzard game Overwatch 2 also removed loot box mechanics from their game. Indeed, it appears like most gaming companies are taking heed of these recent controversies and lawsuits and are altering their practices to make their in-game shops less predatory.
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