It just took a single DLC content of Fallout 4 to subject Bethesda to a class-action lawsuit. The season pass that could have turned to the company's profit also hurt Microsoft's acquisition of Zenimax Media, the video game publisher's parent company.
Why Was Bethesda Sued Because of Fallout 4 Season Pass?
Fallout's Season Pass is still ongoing at the moment. In 2019, Bethesda promised to its fans that it will reward them with a DLC which only costs $30. The company analogized the scenario to what they did for Skyrim, and two other games, which also were granted with an exclusive game pass.
In a report by PC Gamer, Fallout 4 reached massive success with the Season Pass in 2015. The following year, Bethesda decided to launch the game pass for $50.
However, in 2017, the Maryland-based publisher Bethesda Creation Club. The company targeted game-savvy users to enjoy a special package that contains fresh game content for Fallout 4 and Skyrim.
More importantly, it lets the players explore new game modes, abilities, and in-game items crafted by the game studio. In addition, it offered several add-ons which were compatible with Bethesda's games.
The development of the content dazzled many fans because it was even made much better through the collaboration of the company to other community creators and partners.
The lawsuit arose when the Fallout 4 Season Pass excluded the Creation Club. In an interview with GamesBeat, a player named Jacob Devine obtained the 2019 Season Pass for Fallout 4 DLC. At the time, it cost $50.
Devine said that he was disappointed with the DLC because he had to unlock another game pass to have access to the new content.
"I bought the first season pass, and I was like, cool. That'll give me all access for the rest of the game, right. Then they dropped that new batch. I'll go check it out, just to find out I had no access at all," Devine said after Suzane, his mother filed a lawsuit against the company.
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According to an attorney from the X-Law Group, Filippo Marchino, what Bethesda did was a form of deception. The removal of Creation Club content to Fallout 4's Season Pass was also considered as a part of the fraud.
Furthermore, Marchino said that the case was worth billions of dollars, with Bethesda facing charges concerning fraud, breach of contract, and negligent misrepresentation to name a few.
Bethesda's Lawsuit Could Delay Microsoft's Acquisition of Zenimax
In a report by Purexbox, Microsoft's planned acquisition of Zenimax will also be affected by the lawsuit. In an interview with GamesBeat, Marchino said that the case will possibly halt the deal with Microsoft until the issue is settled.
For the legal damages, the studio could pay $1.1 billion. By then, the assets of the company and its parent firm will be preserved.
In October 2020, Bethesda and Zenimax were also involved in a lawsuit. Game publisher Ragnarok Game accused the two of sabotaging the Oblivion Song and Rune II. The conspiracy had lingered because the fraud was evident to the case.
This article is owned by Tech Times.
Written by Joen Coronel
