Law firm Migliaccio & Rathod LLP stated that the “Blessing of the Heroes/God’s Gift” legendary gem will change its effect in a way that is not good for players after upgrading.
At level two, whenever a player takes damage, the gem has the potential to deal damage equal to the player’s maximum health, the company said. But at the third level, it will instead change to damage equal to the player’s current health.
It added that the gem was being sold in bundles priced up to over $100.
“Instead of offering a refund or some form of compensation, Blizzard has indicated in response to the Blizzard community that they will be changing the item’s text description to reflect its actual effect at level three,” the company said.
“This practice essentially amounts to a ‘bait-and-switch’ scam, where a purchasable item is advertised as having one effect that players want, but ends up with an entirely different effect.”
Migliaccio & Rathod LLP also thanks the Communications Workers of America (CWA) for bringing this matter to its attention.
CWA and Activision Blizzard have been at war in recent years, with the union organizing Raven Software and Blizzard’s QA staff in Albany, while Activision Blizzard has been fighting against the unionization of its studios.
In addition to delaying the unionization process, Activision Blizzard was also accused by the CWA of illegally intimidating employees and enforcing social media policies that violated employee rights.
