At the end of last year, Nintendo removed gacha elements from its mobile racing game, Mario Kart Tour. It replaced this system where the player would “shoot” a pipe to get a random item with the ‘Focus Store’.
Although the item system has been updated, Axios Report a young gamer (with his father’s approval) filed a lawsuit in the US against the video game giant over alleged “immoral” microtransactions in a mobile racing game .
The lawsuit was originally filed at the state level in March and last week entered the federal system. Here are the details, courtesy of the source:
“The lawsuit seeks refunds for all minors in the United States who paid to use Mario Kart Tour’s “Spotlight Pipes,” which give players in-game rewards using the odds. Undisclosed Up until last year, Mario Kart Tour players could spend real money repeatedly activating pipes, hoping they would randomly generate useful upgrades… Its single, identified as NA, spent more than $170 on Mario Kart Tour microtransactions, through his father’s credit card, linked to their Nintendo user account.”
It is alleged that Nintendo “intentionally” made it difficult for the game to continue without paying – using “dark models (which essentially incentivize players to spend more). how the lootbox mechanics in Mario Kart Tour reinforce addictive behaviors – like gambling.
As noted by Axios, these practices allegedly violate the Washington State Consumer Protection Act and California business law.
