Blizzard Has Been Hit With A Possible Class Action Lawsuit Over Hearthstone’s Card Packs

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Blizzard Entertainment has been slapped with yet another lawsuit, this time over Hearthstone’s allegedly deceitful microtransaction model.

Polygon reports that the lawsuit was filed by Nathan Harris, a parent from Arizona whose child spent over $300 on the online collectible card game over the span of three years. The child reportedly bought numerous card packs using her father’s credit and debit cards without his permission and without knowing that she couldn’t get a refund. She also “almost never received any valuable cards,” as stated in the complaint.

Like card packs in real-life, those purchased in Hearthstone contain a random set of cards with a small chance of containing rare or powerful cards. This can be compared to lootboxes in other games which have repeatedly been the subject of various inquiries, investigations, and litigations by various government organizations all around the world, including the U.S. Federal Trade Commission. While it’s possible to play the game without spending a dime, players are often tempted to try their luck and purchase card packs without knowing exactly what they’re going to get.

The lawsuit cites that, under the California Family Code, minors have the right to disaffirm contracts or at least get a refund. The complaint also points out that Blizzard failed to disclose the odds of getting specific cards from purchased packs and the game’s lack of a parental control feature which could have prevented the child from purchasing items without the consent of her parents.

Harris’ lawyer has petitioned Orange County’s State Superior Court to make the lawsuit a class action case, which means that it could possibly include any minor who purchased a card pack using real-world money, which could be “hundreds, if not thousands” of minors, according to the lawsuit.

Blizzard’s legal team has since responded with a motion to move the case to the California Central District Court, which they say has jurisdiction over the matter.

This isn’t the first time that Blizzard has been hit with a lawsuit over loot box-style mechanics. The company successfully moved a previous case over Overwatch loot boxes to arbitration, arguing that the minor who purchased the loot boxes had agreed to it as part of the game’s user agreement. Harris’ lawyer, however, argues that the user agreement isn’t enforceable when agreed to by a minor.

Epic Games also faced a similar lawsuit last year when the company was sued for Fortnite’s “loot llamas” which also contained a random assortment of in-game items. Epic was able to settle the lawsuit and awarded 1,000 V-Bucks to all players who purchased loot llamas before they were taken out. Rocket League players were also awarded the same amount following the removal of loot boxes from the vehicle soccer game. The settlement also included $26.4 million worth of refunds to minors which could either be claimed as $50 or 13,500 V-Bucks for each minor.