- The EU Consumer Org has accused big giants in the gaming industry of violating consumer protection laws.
- The organization thinks these companies are bending the rules in their favour to earn profits.
- It has demanded that video game companies stop these unfair practices.
The European Consumer Organization has recently accused many developers and publishers of breaching EU consumer protection laws. Ubisoft, EA, and Epic Games are some of the renowned ones among the accused.
The organization seems to be calling on the authorities to ensure that these developers and publishers play by the rules. This is being done to provide consumers with a safe gaming environment.
Why it matters: Live service titles are often just about the microtransactions, which no one is fond of, but some developers and publishers still force them into games while others don’t.
In a recent press release, the European Consumer Organization notified the European Commission and the European Network Consumer Authorities about the companies that they believe are breaching the EU Consumer Protection Laws.
Companies’ claims that gamers prefer in-game premium currencies are wrong:
Many consumers find this unnecessary step misleading and prefer buying items directly with real money.
-The Eu Consumer Org
One major claim from the org is that these companies claim fans prefer in-game currencies. However, that is completely wrong, as this step could be misleading for many. The org also notes that consumers often can’t see the real cost of digital items.
This leads to overspending because in-game purchases are displayed in in-game currency. The organization believes in-game purchases should always be displayed in real money. Activision Blizzard, Electronic Arts, Epic Games, Mojang Studios, Roblox Corporation, Supercell and Ubisoft were the main publishers mentioned in the press release.
The organization also pointed out that children are vulnerable to such tactics. According to the organization, children in Europe spend an average of €39 per month on in-game purchases. This shows that something needs to be done by how the virtual currency is being displayed in games.
BEUC has noticed this bending of rules in the virtual market, and the Director General, Agustín Reyna, states that in the online world, no company should be able to bend the rules to make profits. A virtual world should abide by the rules that are applicable in the real world.
The Director General also stated that in-game currencies are purposely tricking consumers and are also taking a big toll on children. Moreover, the organization wants the CPC-Network to start coordinated enforcement and demands that the relevant companies stop such practices for consumers.
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[News Editor]
Obaid is pursuing a Law degree while working as a content writer. He has worked as a gaming writer for over three years because of his passion for the medium and reporting the latest updates in the industry. Having played hundreds of games, Obaid finds himself coming back to Elden Ring, Cyberpunk 2077, and Red Dead Redemption 2, with these games being among his favorites. He has also been mentioned on highly regarded websites, such as Wccftech, Metro UK, PS Lifestyle, GamePressure, VGC, and Gamespot.
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