Valve asks New York court to dismiss Counter-Strike lawsuit, says 'people enjoy surprises' and equating loot boxes to gambling is 'nonsensical'

Valve has moved to dismiss a lawsuit brought by the New York attorney general, Letitia James, in February this year, which argues that "children and adults alike illegally gamble for the chance to win virtual prizes" in Counter-Strike 2. Some of the arguments that Valve brings forward in its motion are familiar: this isn't the first time it's compared loot boxes to baseball cards.

The case brought by the state of New York essentially argues that Counter-Strike 2's item boxes are a form of unregulated gambling (per the Courthouse News Service). Counter-Strike 2 awards players cases on a semi-regular basis, each of which contains a random item from a particular skin collection and requires a key costing $2.49—though players can also choose other rewards that do not require keys.

"Each of those transactions—and many more like them—involves a purchase of randomized items that can be resold for cash," Valve's legal team wri...