A class action lawsuit has been waged against Scopely Inc. by users claiming that the online video game company decreased the value of virtual goods purchased on the video game Star Trek Fleet Command (STFC).
Plaintiff Vernon Ackies says that he purchased virtual goods on the Star Trek video game and found out that Scopely decreased the value and the effectiveness of the goods after he bought them.
“Simply stated, Scopely took advantage of, and defrauded, its players through numerous unconscionable commercial practices and fraudulent acts to extract as much money as possible from them,” the Star Trek video game class action lawsuit notes.
The plaintiff states that Star Trek Fleet Command is a multiplayer online game, or “MMO,” which allows players to participate at the same time over the internet. STFC is free to play, but players can buy virtual goods with real money to enhance their abilities compared to other players on the game.
The Star Trek Fleet Command class action states that, for as high as $99.99 players can purchase “resources,” “materials,” “character cards,” “faction credits,” and “ship blueprints.” In addition, the plaintiff notes that game players can purchase “packs,” like “Master Station Upgrade Pack” and “Ultra Ship Power Pack,” which encompass tokens which are used to upgrade a player’s character, space station or space ship.
“Making upgrades to a player’s space station and space ship through the purchase of virtual goods is an important function in STFC. Without making these upgrades, which cost real money, competitive players are unable to advance far in STFC and are easily defeated by other players who have made such purchases and upgrades,” the Scopely class action lawsuit states.
In addition, the plaintiff claims that the defendant represents the importance of upgrading a player’s space station and space ship.
The Scopely class action lawsuit alleges that STFC misrepresents to players the cost of Star Trek Fleet Command’s virtual goods. The plaintiff claims that STFC subtracted more in-game currencies from a player’s balance than the stated cost prior to purchase.
The plaintiff also claims that players pay for virtual goods that had stated benefits and capabilities at the time of the purchase, but that the players did not get those benefits and capabilities that they paid for.
The Star Trek Fleet Command class action lawsuit also claims that in February 2019, after complaints from STFC players, Scopely released an “update” to the game, which was supposed to fix parts of the software that was causing issues.
The plaintiff claims that these updates made changes to the “rules” of STFC, which had an effect on the “in-game economy and cost structure.”
“The February 2019 update, as well as a series of subsequent updates, substantially changed the rules of STFC and the in-game economy, effectively devaluing all prior purchases made by paying players,” the Scopely class action lawsuit alleges.
The plaintiff also alleges that Scopely makes it hard for Star Trek Fleet Command players to file complaints and refuses to issue refunds to players who have lost purchased virtual goods bought with real-world money.
“Refunds are not issued even if the virtual good was lost through no fault of the player…or if a virtual good does not operate as represented,” the Scopely class action lawsuit states.
The plaintiff has filed this action under the New Jersey Consumer Fraud Act, breach of contract, breach of the implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing, conversion, unjust enrichment, and legal fraud.
Did you purchase virtual goods while playing Star Trek Fleet Command? Leave a message in the comments section below.
The plaintiff is represented by Bob Kasolas and Mark E. Critchley of Brach Eichler LLC.
The Scopely Star Trek Fleet Command In Game Purchase Class Action Lawsuit is Ackies v. Scopely, Inc. Case No. 2:19-cv-19247, in the U.S. District Court of New Jersey.
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513 thoughts onStar Trek Fleet Command Players Lose Virtual Goods, Class Action Says
I’ve spent money before 2/19 and I’m interested in this class action.
I am interested in more information about this lawsuit and how to join.
They have made it even worse with the December 16th update. Previously if you were locked in at max faction rep you couldn’t go down. They have changed the reputation system and now requires you to have 100m before being locked in. Not only that, you can now go down below the locked in reputation, essentially putting you back to 0 if you do missions for other factions now.
Wish I’d seen all this before getting involved in this game a few weeks ago. Only $100 in to it, but I’m going to cut my losses at this point.
Brian
When you consider that a dynamic, graphics- and processor-intensive console game only costs $70, with perhaps a little more for downloadable content — as opposed to a mostly static mobile game like STFC — you start to realize how badly Scopley is ripping gamers off by offering $100 downloadable content. Worse than that, you spend hours grinding away to upgrade your officers, only to have Scopley severely nerf them every few weeks — forcing you to grind, and grind and grind, or spend and spend and spend — it’s just not fair. (I’ve spent close to $1,000 on this game; some people I know drop $500-$600 a month!) But what REALLY burns me is that for the all the money that Scopley makes on this game $13.7 million a month in revenue — surpassing $100 MILLION in its first eight months — it is inexcusable that we gamers are forced to play such a buggy game. They should be working triple-shifts to fix this game. I’m not spending another dime until they do.
The algorithms in the game are definitely designed to limit the resources you receive based on how badly you need them then making available a pack that you are able to buy. The packs are not scaled in accordance with your level or needs in game. The packs also once purchased will not be the pack you selected. They then tell you, your made the wrong selection but got what you clicked on.
The game does feel as if it were rigged to support the players who spend thousands of dollars in this game. The solar systems you fly into sometimes are devoid of hostiles, mines readily available to put a miner on, Armadas, and numerous other glitches that constantly and continuously plaque the game. I have spent a few hundred dollars in the game to bolster my enjoyment of the game, BUT scopely has been notorious for not resolving the multitude of glitches/issues in a timely manner. Nor does scopely compensate with a reasonable amount of items. i.e. Scopely recently gave out a loyalty chest just for playing and that consisted of 3 star resources (24k raw crystal, 24k raw gas, and 24k raw ore). Most players can mine that, on average, within 6hrs of gameplay. What a rip-off.
I’ve spent a little and have noticed you don’t get much for what you pay for and it seems to get worth less as you progress in the game. What I’m upset about is the gameplay systems don’t generate any players or hostiles, you get hit by unseen enemies, notifications dont work properly such as getting a msg saying you were attacked then you get a mine depleted notification fornthe same mine that you’ve been destroyed on before you depleted the mine, not getting any notifcations if your base has been attack and checking the inbox and finding only half the attack reports. Half the time the officers perks don’t work. If this were a beta version i could u derstand but it isn’t and has become quite unenjoyable when it could be a great game.
I’ve spent Thousands! I get less and less for my money every time. I’m finished spending. The game is rigged.
I purchased around $800 worth of packs and upgrades. I stopped completely once I saw a screen shot of a friends pack (the same pack that I had just bought for $49.99) and he received a far greater amount of resources, materials, speed ups, lat, and materials that weren’t even part of mine like “Rare Plutonium” so I can’t upgrade my Botany Bay any farther until I get to “ops level 30” which wasn’t at all stipulated anywhere in the advertised packs. I stopped spending then and seek to be compensated for what I’ve spent in the past to reflect what that would’ve gotten me now