False (unlawful?) information about Mog Bonanza Prizes

[Edyth]

I Dream of Mog Bonanza 2015 (Currently underway!)
Marbles are on sale until Tuesday, January 27 at 12:00 a.m. (PST). This time around for the Rank 5 prize, you’ll be able to select instrumental versions of “Distant Worlds” and “Forever Today” that can be played with the Orchestrion. Good luck, and have fun with Mog Bonanza!


According the prizes list, the “Distant Worlds” and “Forever Today” sheets are rank 3 and 4 prizes for no reason. It's ridiculous for them to be a 1% and 0.1% chance of winning. Please make them rank 5, as advertised in this Dev post.

I know there were some real-life legal hurdles with Mog Bonanza before, so if the JP broadcast actually calls them rank 5 prizes (I know the JP post does), there may actually be some legal issues with this in some region where FFXI is available. Specifically, if someone pays real money and reactivates their account or characters because of this post, I'm sure there ARE legal implications. I actually did reactivate 5 characters after reading the post. Would I take legal action? No, because I'm sure it's an honest mistake, but someone else may.

SE, I love you guys, and I don't want you to end up like so many other companies at the moment. Sony, Sega, EA, Apple, and Gearbox are all currently facing lawsuits for false advertising. That's part of why I bring this up. The other part is I want a decent chance at those cool songs.

Please deliver on what these posts promise <3

[Behemothx]

It's probably just a mistake. No need to go nuts over this.

[Edyth]

It's probably just a mistake. No need to go nuts over this.

I was basically tricked out of a few dollars due to false contest odds being advertised. It's not much, but it still is (likely unintentional) swindling on SE's part, and when it's a game of chance, the law is strict.

[dasva]

files a complaint with the FCC or sues you.

http://i1.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/newsfeed/000/353/279/e31.jpg


But seriously I doubt they will do anything. They continue to lie about one of my accounts being involved in rmting and banned. SE customer service is the worst

Also for all you know the list is the incorrect one...

[Edyth]

But seriously I doubt they will do anything. They continue to lie about one of my accounts being involved in rmting and banned. SE customer service is the worst

Also for all you know the list is the incorrect one...

SE does reserve the right to ban accounts or any reason or no reason at all :( The law doesn't care. But omg, the marble prizes? [/sarcasm] The law actually may care because it's gambling, even though it's so much more minor to the players.

Also, companies are being sued about framerate advertising, true HD advertising vs. upscaling, and Apple is being sued for advertising more GB than the iphones can actually save due to system data. This @#%# is getting real for companies.

[dasva]

Yeah but I doubt the law is going to care if you get a couple more pixels on a game... and not sure if it would even fall under gambling laws being it's in game pixels being gambled for other in game pixels neither of which are redeemable which as you pointed out they can just take away at their whim.

The other examples are examples of actual physical differences. I mean if you want to apply that to everything then what about the pet th gear we were promised back when they took away th3 on some pets? Or the very first mog bonaza where they said only 1 5 digit number was being drawn and ranks were based the last number of ones you got right... that one really made me mad because I ended up having 3 different marbles that had the last 4 digits of the 5 digit number and then when it came to turn in oops nope you win nothing. I even made several mules and leveled them to 5 (because that was a requirement that time) for it. Or the multiple times they tell us recently that they can't make the game do something like switch gear faster or have lower wait times etc when it's been proven the game can for years now? Or how Stymie is good :p. Point is SE gives out a lot of false info and has literally since NA release so I doubt anything will change this particular time

Also what were the times those different announcements came out? It could just be they changed the prizes...

[Crevox]

You need to relax

[Bluestar2kx]

Even if someone wanted to take legal action, all that would happen is they'd be laughed out of a lawyers office. There's absolutely nothing anyone could do in this case, because SE reserves the right (as do most contest holders) to change any winnings as they see fit, or in the case someone actually one something, provide a prize of equal or greater value, and since the typically expectations of the bonanza is active players who already paid will be playing, there's not much room for people who paid only to play the bonanza, this isn't a state lottery or really anything to be acted on since the goods are virtual and your payment was for an unrelated service to the bonanza.

Odds are, it's a misprint, but even if not, oh well. Really nothing that can be done.

Comparing this to others who are being sued for providing an object (a really really poor object that was not what was shown or told to everyone) for RL money is a far different situation. And mostly, it's Sega suing Gearbox, and vice versa. I think 3Drealms settled with gearbox over duke nukem forever. (I could be wrong, I lost track of them.) Sony got sued because people got mad at them for jerks hacking them (sony is at fault for not having better systems) but really owned nobody nothing. As for Apple, I assume you mean their back and forth with Samsung. And EA, don't know anything about pending lawsuits against them. Likely is one though, everyone thinks they're worse then the devil.

Anyway, even if it's not a misprint and the bonanza page is correct, nothing to really do by anyone, just let it go.

[Alhanelem]

There would be no legal implications over this. I don't think you're going to see anyone resubbing for the express purpose of playing these songs in their mog house, it's just absurd. And even then, the only damage to them is that $12.95, as the ingame items have no real world money value. Good luck getting a lawsuit going over that.

That's ABSURDLY petty to sue over, and frivolous lawsuits like this are what bog down our court systems today preventing the courts from getting to actual important issues.


I was basically tricked out of a few dollars due to false contest odds being advertised. It's not much, but it still is (likely unintentional) swindling on SE's part, and when it's a game of chance, the law is strict. First, it's probably just a typographical error, which SE reserves the right to correct (just like store flyers etc, you cant sue stores over incorrect prices listed in them), second, what the hell were you thinking reactivating for the sole purpose of winning the booby prize in an ingame drawing? You have no case. Your potential recovery would be too small for the courts to even look at it.

[Trumpy]

I would like to see this on Judge Judy.

[Dazusu]

Specifically, if someone pays real money and reactivates their account or characters because of this post, I'm sure there ARE legal implications

There are definitely no legal implications. There are terms and conditions set out for the Mog Bonanza (and the game) that are clear as day. One of the terms and conditions (paraphrasing) is that Square Enix reserve the right to modify the online play experience with absolutely no notice. That umbrella statement includes the prizes for Mog Bonanza.

Additionally, it's not classed as gambling. This is a common law I have a LOT of experience with first hand. The whole Mog Bonanza is classed as "a game of skill", and I'll tell you why:

Square Enix sneakily implemented this change that I'm very familiar with a couple of years ago. You know how the Moogles inconspicuously ask you now: "You do know why we're here, right?" (Or is the question, "You know what we're selling, right?" -- I forget, not played for a long time -- but there is an initial question before you can proceed to buy tickets).

Either way, that question makes the whole process count as "a game of skill". If you get the question wrong - you can't buy tickets; but if you talk to the moogle and answer correctly - then you can buy tickets.

At which point - the whole process of getting a ticket with numbers on becomes entry to a randomly drawn prize pool (which is only offered after getting the initial dialog question correct).

Hence, it's no longer a lottery. You get the question right (skill), then you're entered into a prize pool.

Like seriously, do you think you're going to scare Square Enix into changing something (that they might or might not have stated incorrectly or accidentally) by weighing in that you believe there are legal implications, and someone might choose to sue? This forum never ceases to amaze me.

[Grekumah]

Greetings Edyth,

This was indeed a mistake made during Freshly Picked, both in the video and within the digest. I have adjusted the text within the digest to reflect the correct information.

We apologize for any inconvenience this has caused you, and thanks for catching the mistake!