The company had to withdraw the card packs of the popular soccer game after the 2020 ruling.
The loot boxes or loot boxes, have been at the center of a controversy for years that revolves around their nature and his closeness to gambling. These have been the subject of debate in numerous countries, with cases such as Australia, where they have sought to limit them to games for people over 18 years of age, or in Spain, where video game companies that sell them could receive fees in view of future regulations of the Ministry of Consumption.
EA faced a fine of 10 million eurosOne of the companies that has run into this type of regulation has been Electronic Arts with regard to its popular FIFA Ultimate Team. In 2020, a sentence in the Netherlands forced him to face heavy fines for each week that passed without removing the loot boxes from his game in the country. A year and a half later, the Supreme Court of the country has ruled in favor of EA, annulling the sanction.
The fine of 10 million euros that Electronic Arts had to face would also have been rescinded, as Polygon has shared. The Administrative Jurisdiction Division would have ruled that buying and opening FIFA Ultimate Team card packs not supposed to be “an independent game” itself, these would form part of “a game that implies skillserving to add an element of luck“, determined the Council of State of the Netherlands.
The statement also emphasizes that “envelopes are obtained and are used to participate in the game“From Electronic Arts they have applauded the ruling through a statement to Polygon in which they reaffirm “their belief that no aspect of FIFA or FIFA Ultimate Team can be considered a game of chance under Dutch law.”
The company never removed FIFA loot boxes“On Electronic Arts, our approach to game design prioritizes choice, fun, fairness, and value. Our priority has always been to make sure that our players in the Netherlands and in the rest of the world have a positive experience, “the company defended. The Court of The Hague ordered the company to withdraw the envelopes from its games, although EA appealed the decision and they never removed the envelopes from the sale.
Loot boxes are still one of the main object of criticism and lawsuits within the industrywith cases such as the recent lawsuit received by Take-Two and its loot boxes in NBA 2K, where its plaintiffs demand a minimum of five million dollars from the company.
More about: Fifa, EA, Loot Boxes and the Netherlands.
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