The successful game publisher Take-Two Interactive currently has to answer in a class action lawsuit regarding the sports game series NBA 2K. The point of contention is lost microtransactions. As part of the process, the company’s lawyers made an interesting statement, according to which are fictions that cannot belong to anyone.
What is the process about?
The class action lawsuit against Take-Two Interactive complains about the server shutdowns of old NBA 2K games. The latest series title this affects is NBA 2K22, released in 2021, whose servers were shut down on December 31, 2023.
Sea Axios The company is accused of having players in this case virtual currency or property is stolenwhich they have previously purchased with real money.
You can see a trailer for NBA 2K24, the latest installment in the series, here:
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NBA 2K24 shows gameplay for the first time in the new trailer
How does Take-Two react?
Sea Game File Take Two’s lawyers aim to challenge the claim that virtual currency is property. Apparently they recently had one about this Motion to dismiss the lawsuit submitted. The lawyers write there:
Virtual currencies are not the property of the plaintiff. Instead, they are fictions created by game manufacturers and are subject to their terms and conditions and user agreements.
In Take-Two’s opinion, players pay to be able to use the virtual currency and not to own it after the transaction. The fiction still belongs to the manufacturer. Accordingly, they could also switch off the servers without having to pay compensation.
The process concerns us all: The outcome of the process is still unclear at this point. But it’s not just interesting for players of Take Two titles like GTA and NBA 2K. Eventually it will be in the coming years increased server shutdowns come and the procedure could turn into precedent case develop. We will keep you up to date.
Until then, you can pass the time with more exciting stories about Take-Two:
What do you think of the statement that players can never actually own virtual currencies? Do you see it differently or would you agree with Take-Two Interactive’s lawyers? Have you ever lost the contents of microtransactions due to a server shutdown? We are very interested in your opinions and experiences, so feel free to write them in the comments!