OAKLAND, Calif. (Legal Newsline) - A minor is suing Nintendo over its practice of charging money for players of Mario Kart Tour for upgrades called "Spotlight Pipes."
A plaintiff known as N.A. sued Nintendo of America March 17 in Contra Costa County Superior Court in California. The defendant removed the case to Oakland federal court on May 17.
"Dark patterns" steered players toward making these in-game purchases with the hope they would attain unlockable prizes to better their chances.
"Nothing players did in game increased or altered their chances of what would be unlocked when a Pipe was opened even though what was won could advance a player," the suit says. "Players such as Plaintiff were not told in advance what is inside any particular Pipe or the odds of winning something which may be contained in the Pipe, and thereby were functionally gambling on the chance of winning some valuable prize."
Offering these gambles violates the Washington Consumer Protection Act and the California Business and Professions Code, the lawsuit says. Lawyers at McGuire Law in Chicago and Lockbridge Grindal Nauen in Minneapolis are pursuing the case.
The suit says Nintendo shut down the Spotlight Pipes, known generally as lootboxes, in September 2022.