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Grand Theft Auto Online Class Action Lawsuit Dismissed
A California U.S. District Court has thrown out a class action lawsuit filed against Take-Two Interactive and Rockstar Games due to a delay in the launch of GTA Online.
The case was filed against Take-Two by Bruce McMahon and Christopher Bengston. The pair claimed that Rockstar and Take-Two had engaged in "unlawful" and "fraudulent" practices because the company had effectively advertised and marketed Grand Theft Auto V as having an online component, which was not actually available until a couple weeks after the game was released.
Judge Virginia A. Phillips granted Take-Two's motion to dismiss the case on the grounds that the game's packaging did not specifically say that the online component would be available immediately. She also cited a disclaimer on the package which stated that the online features "may not be available to all users."
[Source: Game Politics]
Our Take:
I'm glad Judge Phillips had the good judgment to see this for what it was: a crass attempt as shaking down Take-Two and Rockstar for money based on a minor inconvenience. I'm all for holding companies accountable for their failings, but I don't believe that video game gripes need to settled in federal court. Plus, Grand Theft Auto V's single-player component alone gave gamers more content than most games. It would have been a great deal even if there wasn't any online mode.
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