A young minor (assisted by his father) is filing a potential class-action suit against Nintendo over microtransactions in Mario Kart Tour, specifically the now-removed “Spotlight Pipes” gacha system, which has since been replaced by a way to directly purchase items in the game’s shop.
For those unfamiliar, a gacha system (named after Japanese gachapon machines) dispenses rewards with in-game currency you can pay real-life money to acquire more of. The suit calls for a refund for all minors in the US who paid to use MKT’s gacha system, alleging the game uses “dark patterns” to incentivize players into paying more. The plaintiff used $170 from his father’s credit card in playing the game.
The suit was originally filed in March, but just appeared on the federal docket last week as it’s moved out of state court. This is a part of a long stream of lawsuits and legal actions related to microtransactions in video games and whether or not they constitute illegal gambling practices. We’ll have to see if this lawsuit bears any fruit as it moves to court.
Source: Axios
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Written by Amelia Fruzzetti
A writer and Nintendo fan based in Seattle, Washington. When not working for NinWire, she can be found eating pasta, writing stories, and wondering about when Mother 3 is finally going to get an official localization.
