Just like many others, I encountered the same bug that has been consistently described by players. On my 9th draw, I was booted out of the Darkmoon Faire interface, and since then, I’ve had no way of knowing whether I received the Hero Skin or the Escape from the Violet Hold pack.
More importantly, though, it must be said that we, as players, deserve an explanation as to why everyone’s loot chances appear to be the same. In the same breath, the fact that this purchasable content was pushed out to us with seemingly skewed loot chances makes me feel that this was done in bad faith.
Aside from a detailed explanation, I believe some form of remediation must be afforded to the players who purchased this content. Pushing out purchasable content with seemingly skewed loot chances is not only deeply concerning, but also undermines the trust players place in the game and its monetization practices.
I believe this may also run afoul of consumer-protection laws in many countries, particularly because the implied loot probabilities were materially different from the actual probabilities.
I couldn’t agree more!
As a legal professional, I intend to pursue this matter through the appropriate public and regulatory channels in Sweden.
Swedish and EU consumer-protection law places clear obligations on businesses to provide consumers with accurate, transparent and non-misleading information about products and commercial practices. Where probabilities or odds are expressly advertised, presenting materially different actual probabilities may raise serious legal concerns.
I have been collecting evidence from affected players, and a concerning pattern is emerging: multiple players appear to have received identical or highly similar outcomes, despite the advertised loot probabilities indicating that such outcomes should occur at materially different rates. If this evidence is substantiated, it warrants proper independent investigation rather than simply being dismissed as anecdotal player reports.
Blizzard operates in the European market and therefore cannot simply disregard applicable EU consumer-protection requirements and Swedish legislation protecting consumers and their rights. The issue is not merely whether players are disappointed with their rewards; it is whether the information presented to consumers accurately reflected the actual mechanics and probabilities of a paid product.
I therefore intend to pursue a formal public investigation and regulatory review of the matter, including the advertised probabilities, the actual distribution of rewards, and whether consumers were provided with accurate and sufficient information before purchasing the content.
If Blizzard has evidence demonstrating that the advertised probabilities were accurately implemented, this should be straightforward to establish through transparent data and an independent review. If they were not, then players who purchased the content deserve an appropriate remedy.
This is no longer simply a discussion about bad luck. It is a question of transparency, consumer rights, and whether the commercial information presented to paying customers accurately reflected reality.
They’ve posted articles about the odds for the various darkmoon faires. Long story short, you have about a one in ten thousand chance of hitting the big prize and it doesn’t get much better until the final spin. Even the second to last spin isn’t an even chance despite there being only two possible prizes.
It’s rigged but it’s not illegal in most regions because they’ve shared the odds. The only way to win is to take whatever you get from the free spin and walk away.