Roblox is a massively successful game, resulting in a lucrative multi-billion-dollar market valuation. According to a new class-action lawsuit, however, some of those funds may be ill-gotten gains. In the court document, Roblox Corporation stands accused of deleting paid in-game items and refusing refunds to the minors that purchase them.
Roblox Lawsuit: Is the game getting sued? (2021)
Yes, Roblox is being sued. An unnamed girl and her father are suing Roblox Corporation after the permanent deletion of premium cosmetic items from her inventory.
Although users create most of the salable items in Roblox, the game takes a 30% cut of all transactions. Roblox Corporation can delete premium items at will; rather than just removing them from the Avatar Shop, however, this process also removes digital goods from paying customer’s inventories. This “sham content moderation” serves as the basis for this lawsuit.
Using the game’s premium “Robux” currency, the plaintiff’s daughter bought pajamas and jeans for her in-game avatar. Roblox Corp. then allegedly removed these items from its platform, denying the minor access to her paid content. In this situation, no refunds are available in the form of either Robux or conventional currency.
According to the lawsuit, there is no explanation for the items’ removal. The digital goods reportedly were not in breach of any guidelines (such as copyright infringement), plus Roblox Corp. didn’t communicate or forewarn their removal in any way. As a result, the lawsuit accuses Roblox of attempting to “generate additional revenue” from impressionable children.
Roblox only offers refunds on “unauthorized purchases” at the time of writing. Even then, the official FAQ states that Roblox Corp. is “unable to refund charges” for any third-party payment processor the requires refunds to go through their support services.
While the Roblox lawsuit is bad news for the developers, it could result in more protections being put in place for its young user base. Stay tuned to GameRevolution for updates.
Until then, with Roblox’s 15th birthday coming up, here’s the latest on an in-game anniversary celebration.
