Nintendo Sued for Microtransactions in Mario Kart Tour; Children Affected
An American citizen has decided to sue Nintendo after his child spent more than $170 on lootboxes in Mario Kart Tour.
Nintendo may be in trouble. As reported by ClassAction, a parent of one underage gamer has filed a lawsuit against the company after his kid spent more than $170 on microtransactions in Mario Kart Tour. She used her father's credit card, linked to her Google Play wallet, to do so.
The accuser explains that the developers of the game deliberately made free gameplay more difficult in order to force players - especially young ones - to purchase so-called lootboxes that were supposed to make the game easier.
As these practices allegedly violate California commercial law and the Washington State Consumer Protection Act, the parent is demanding that Nintendo refunds the money spent in this way to all underage gamers in the United States.
Controversial mechanics
The lootboxes in Mario Kart Tour were available in the form of Spotlight Pipes. Players could buy them with real money or in-game currency. The problem was that the probability of drawing valuable prizes was very low, and players themselves had no knowledge of the randomness.
Nintendo's controversial practice was removed from the game in September 2022. It was replaced with microtransactions through the standard in-game store, where users can simply buy the item they want.
