Take-Two Interactive
- The publisher behind the NBA 2K franchise is facing a lawsuit over some of the game’s most infuriating features
- Take-Two Interactive is being sued on behalf of an unnamed minor who claims the game uses loot boxes and microtransactions to exploit players
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At this point, getting mad about microtransactions in video games is tantamount to rattling off a stream of obscenities at a coffee table after stubbing your toe or pulling out a rifle to pop a few rounds into an oncoming hurricane; it might make you feel a little bit better, but it’s not going to do anything to change reality.
Can you theoretically take a principled stance by refusing to purchase or play any game that continually hounds you (or essentially requires you) to shell out your hard-earned cash in exchange for the optimal experience? Sure, but in doing so, you’d also find your options become fairly limited—especially if you want to play virtually any sports game in existence.
That includes the titles in the NBA 2K franchise, which seemingly harnesses a formula that involves its creative team taking a long, hard look at what fans are craving in a basketball video game before going out of their way to ensure basically none of those wants or needs are addressed (while also shoehorning in a bunch of superfluous elements masquerading as “features” for good measure).
Over the years, NBA 2K has increasingly leaned into microtransaction facilitated by an economy built on “virtual currency” along with the glorified slot machines known as “loot boxes” that have drawn the scrutiny of government agencies around the world (this isn’t necessarily a surprise when you consider it’s published by Take-Two Interactive, the same company that’s spent close to a decade raking in Scrooge McDuck-levels of cash by releasing slight a slightly glossier version of releasing Grand Theft Auto V every few years).
Now, Bloomberg reports Take-Two has found itself at the receiving end of a lawsuit stemming from those two elements, as the plaintiff representing a minor asserts the company is guilty of “unfair, deceptive, and unlawful practices” for the strategies it uses to get players to keep spending money after buying the base game (it also addresses the VC system, with the process of earning coins described as a “difficult, time-consuming, and an inconsistent” one).
The parties behind the lawsuit (which could become one of the class action variety) are seeking at least $5 million in damages, and while the case is still in its early stages, it could be worth keeping an eye on.