China’s Tencent is suing DD373.com — a platform for trading in-game items. The corporation claims that all virtual content in games (resources, weapons, skins, etc.) belong exclusively to it. Even if gamers spend real money on it. The giant’s statement immediately caused a lot of indignation among the players.
Tencent went to court after noticing that on DD373.com Players sell items from the Dungeon Fighter Online project (Tencent publishes it in China). According to the company, this violates its rights, so it demanded compensation from the owners of the platform in the amount of $ 6.2 million.
According to Tencent, game items in real life have no material value. You can use them in the game, but you can’t trade them. When gamers buy virtual things for real money, they only “pay for the support of the title.”
The court’s decision may affect the entire business of selling game items.
The fact is that in China, a lot of gamers have made a career for themselves, looking for the right things in games and selling them for substantial sums. For example, a full set of weapons and armor from Dungeon Fighter Online costs $85. And only on DD373.com By the end of June last year, $24.7 million worth of title items had been sold.
In DD373.com We are confident that if Tencent wins in court, it will get a monopoly on this market and will set the right price tag for the goods itself. In the end, it can completely destroy the business.
Local gamers have also spoken out against Tencent’s policy.
Xuxubaobao, one of the most popular Chinese streamers, said that he spent about $15.4 million in Dungeon Fighter Online. He called the publisher’s position “idiotic” and expressed hope that the court would protect the rights of gamers.
Other players agree with him and consider it unfair that Tencent earns a lot of money, while users do not even have rights to things in the title.
The hearing on the case took place on April 8, but the court has not yet made a decision.