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.
โSimply 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,โ the Star Trek video game class action lawsuit notes.
The plaintiff states that Star Trek Fleet Command is a multiplayer online game, or โMMO,โ 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 โresources,โ โmaterials,โ โcharacter cards,โ โfaction credits,โ and โship blueprints.โ In addition, the plaintiff notes that game players can purchase โpacks,โ like โMaster Station Upgrade Packโ and โUltra Ship Power Pack,โ which encompass tokens which are used to upgrade a playerโs character, space station or space ship.
โMaking upgrades to a playerโs 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,โ the Scopely class action lawsuit states.
In addition, the plaintiff claims that the defendant represents the importance of upgrading a playerโs space station and space ship.
The Scopely class action lawsuit alleges that STFC misrepresents to players the cost of Star Trek Fleet Commandโs virtual goods. The plaintiff claims that STFC subtracted more in-game currencies from a playerโs 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 โupdateโ 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 โrulesโ of STFC, which had an effect on the โin-game economy and cost structure.โ
โThe 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,โ 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.
โRefunds are not issued even if the virtual good was lost through no fault of the playerโฆor if a virtual good does not operate as represented,โ 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 was taken advantage of and spent $1000โs on this game. They booted me after a while without reason. I want to be part of the lawsuit. I was 100% scammed.
I bought a cloak for d3 and only after I paid this rediculous amount did I find out that my d3 does not cloak. If you pull up the ship it makes you think it will, and stfc does not tell you anywhere that this ship doesnโt cloakโฆI asked for my money back and have not received it or even a message. The prices for purchasing packs is rediculous. No other game I have ever played charges more than 20 for most purchases. I think they owe everyone a refund
Can you send a screenshot of your transaction with Star Trek FC? because I want to compare my transaction to other because the items given is not complete.
The release of the mantis which I brought has been bugged for months wouldnt mind a refund for that. Constant lag and bugs. Since I got mantis I get error message all the time and the buffs donโt work terrible Iโm fuming scopley are rip off scam grab the cash and stuff the player with buggy content. Mantis doesnโt work as advertised sue the brains off them hope they go bankrupt
I live in Canada and I have spent thousands of dollars and I concur with the comments above. I have approached Customer Service at Scopely complaining about the fact that they were charging a lot more than what was being advertised and also times where I would pay for the product and not receive all of the items.Most of the time, can blown off by them stating they would get back to me and never did.
This game is a gambling game that allows children to participate. You are forced to gamble to get materials needed to upgrade. This game is also a Bully game where upper level players can bully lower players. This bullying will have players buying packs that will not improve their position. Why? Because the upper level players will always be upper level. How? Maybe because they are the developers and dont spend real money like the rest of us. There is no guarantee that any of these Bully players are not inside guys. So having a casino where the house wins 99.999% and has insiders pushing is not a game but a racket.
Same here. I have had issues where I have spent a couple thousand on this game and never get anywhere with customer support. Its crazy how it entices you to spend the money. I usually bulk at spending even an extra fifty cents on gas at the pumps but find myself dropping $99 for a slight ship upgrade so that I am not getting blown up by all these other people with bigger ships. Pay to win should be against the law. I feel now that I must play this game because of how much I invested in it and I keep spending on it even though I do not want to but i am starting to feel like the offers are subliminally enticing.
You hit the nail on the head! The IAP never seem to be what was advertised and the โrewardsโ donโt keep up with the increasing costs. I too have spent far more money than I can comfortably afford and feel I have to keep playing to hope to get an equivocal return of entertainment for the money.
What if I could show that scopely doesnโt care and if Ackies was smart he wouldโve done some research got pics and YouTube videos from established bloggers to support his claim. Beyond that defamation cyber bullying and harassment and so much more.
Add me to your class Scopely cares.. about cash period.
I spent hundreds of dollars on this game in late 2020 and early 2021 before i realized that what i bought was not doing what i was supposed to do. Not to mention the fact that other players were able to raid my base and take some of the things that i had purchased. Even when i had a shield up and was not supposed to be able to be raided there was an exploit where someone could attack one of my ships causing my shield to fall and then they were able to raid my base. There is also an obvious scam with the store where there is a chest of latnem for $99 that give 2000 lat when you can spend the same amount ($99) on a different chest if that gives you over 60,000 lat and several other resourses needed to upgrade ships and station.
Iโve spent beyond more than I want to realize in this game, especially purchasing items which later become free through rewards. This and different servers have different amounts received for each pack based on the โageโ of the server and amounts spent collectively by that server. Every player should receive equal amounts of in game value for their money.
I agree with everything about this lawsuit. Nearly every purchase I made was immediately made worthless by some new addition to the game. I donโt mind pay to play games where you advance via micro-transactions (though after your first couple of purchases, these were hardly micro). I have never had such a difficult time with a game developer.