A lawsuit against Bandai Namco and FromSoftware, filed by an Elden Ring player, claims consumers were misled about the game's content. This article explores the lawsuit, its likelihood of success, and the plaintiff's motivations.
Elden Ring Lawsuit Filed in Small Claims Court
The lawsuit, announced on 4Chan, alleges that Elden Ring and other FromSoftware titles contain a significant amount of hidden content intentionally obscured by the games' high difficulty. The plaintiff, Nora Kisaragi, argues that this constitutes false advertising.
FromSoftware games are known for their challenging gameplay. The recent Shadow of the Erdtree DLC further cemented this reputation. However, Kisaragi contends that this difficulty level masks the existence of undiscovered content, citing datamined material as evidence – unlike others who view this data as remnants of cut content, the plaintiff believes it's intentionally hidden.
Kisaragi admits a lack of concrete evidence, relying instead on perceived "hints" from developers. Examples include references to Sekiro's art book and statements by FromSoftware President Hidetaka Miyazaki. The core argument is: players paid for inaccessible content without even knowing it existed.
The case is widely considered absurd, given that extensive datamining would likely have revealed such hidden content. The presence of cut content in game code is commonplace and doesn't inherently imply intentional concealment.
The Lawsuit's Viability
Massachusetts law allows anyone over 18 to sue in small claims court without an attorney. However, the judge will assess the case's validity. The plaintiff could attempt to use the state's Consumer Protection Law, which prohibits unfair or deceptive practices. But proving intentional deception and consumer harm will be extremely difficult without substantial evidence. The highly speculative nature of the claim makes dismissal likely. Even if successful, damages awarded in small claims court are limited.
Despite the long odds, Kisaragi remains focused on forcing Bandai Namco to publicly acknowledge the existence of the alleged "hidden dimension," regardless of the case's outcome.
