European consumer protection authorities have announced a series of coordinated actions targeting ten video game companies, alleging the use of "dark patterns" that exploit consumers, particularly minors and those at risk of gaming addiction. The focus is on monetization practices that obscure real-world spending, such as the sale of virtual currencies in fixed quantities that often necessitate overspending to purchase desired in-game items. Games like Activision Blizzard's Diablo Immortal and Call of Duty, along with titles from Ubisoft and others, are under scrutiny.
These practices can lead to situations where players are compelled to purchase more in-game currency than they need. For instance, a player might need 600 units of a virtual currency for an in-game cosmetic, but the currency is only sold in bundles of 500, 1000, or 1500, forcing an additional purchase. This setup, common in titles such as Fortnite and Call of Duty before recent changes, creates a one-way exchange where leftover currency cannot be easily converted back to real money. Activision Blizzard remains a primary focus, with previous investigations into Diablo Immortal and Call of Duty being expanded.
In contrast, Fortnite is moving to allow players to purchase the exact amount of its virtual currency, V-Bucks, needed for specific items, a change that will also extend to Rocket League and Fall Guys across multiple platforms. However, this exact-amount purchasing will not initially be supported on PlayStation.
The European Commission-led initiative aims to promote transparency and fairness in the gaming market, ensuring better protection for consumers and minors. Concerns also extend to manipulative user interface designs and inadequate parental controls. These actions follow a global trend of increased scrutiny on consumer protection, UI design, and contract transparency in digital services, including past investigations by the US Federal Trade Commission into problematic subscription models in live-service games.