Judge dismisses suit against EA over false Battlefield 4 quality claims

Lawsuits filed against EA claiming the company knew launch issues would plague Battlefield 4 yet boasted of its innovation to investors has been dismissed by a federal judge.

The lawsuits claimed EA violated the Securities Exchange Act between July 24 and December 4 by issuing "materially false and misleading statements" over the "purported strength of its all-important Battlefield video game series.”

The lawsuits have been dismissed, with the judge calling EA's comments "puffery" instead of misleading.

“The Court agrees with defendants that all of the purported misstatements are inactionable statements of opinion, corporate optimism, or puffery," according to Judge Susan Illston via Ars Technica.

One of Ars' readers pointed to the Federal Trade Commission's definition of said puffery [PDF] which the body defines as: "Words which mean something different to everyone and are used by companies to sell a product."

"It’s known as “puffery,” because these terms “puff up” products. Puffery usually isn’t considered misleading, because it’s a pretty obvious exaggeration," according to the FTC.

So, there you have it: EA was only guilty of using buzz words and terms; not actual misleading 'facts'.

Thanks PCgamesN.