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Consumer Rights

EU Consumer Authorities Launch Actions Over In-Game Currency at Nine Game Companies

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EU consumer authorities have opened coordinated actions concerning virtual-currency practices at nine video-game companies. The action examines whether players receive clear real-world prices and fair information and terms—not whether the companies have already been found to have broken the law.

What the EU action covers

The European Commission says the Consumer Protection Cooperation (CPC) Network, coordinated by the Commission, has begun dialogue with nine companies over suspected practices that may breach EU consumer law. The Irish Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) describes the matter as an examination of potential breaches. Neither authority reports a final infringement finding against these companies.

  • Crytek GmbH — Hunt: Showdown 1896
  • InnoGames GmbH — Forge of Empires
  • King.com Limited — Candy Crush Saga
  • Mojang AB — Minecraft
  • Plarium Europe — Mech Arena
  • PLR Worldwide Sales Limited — Gardenscapes
  • Riot Games Limited — Valorant
  • Supercell Oy — Clash of Clans
  • Ubisoft EMEA SAS — For Honor

The Commission says national authorities may take enforcement measures if concerns are not addressed. The action follows earlier discussions with industry federations on transparency and fairness in virtual currencies; after those talks did not produce satisfactory consumer solutions, authorities carried out a market check and identified games for further action, according to the CCPC. BEUC says the coordinated actions follow a complaint filed by consumer organisations in its network in 2024.

This nine-company action is separate from the CPC Network’s engagement with Microsoft/Activision Blizzard, which is also mentioned in the authorities’ releases.

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Why virtual-currency purchases are under scrutiny

The CPC Network’s March 2025 Key Principles define in-game virtual currency as digital value bought with real-world money and later spent on game content or services. They say ordinary consumer-protection rules apply to those transactions as they do to purchases made directly with money. The principles are non-exhaustive guidance, not a new blanket ban on games using virtual currencies.

Players should be able to understand the real price

A player may have to buy tokens, exchange them for another currency, then spend that currency on an item. The principles say prices should remain clear and comprehensible in real-world money, including for items bought with currency available directly or indirectly. Multiple conversion layers can obscure what an item actually costs.

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Bundles should not force unnecessary spending

Authorities are examining whether currency packs and item prices leave players unable to buy the amount they need, or push them to purchase more currency than required. The principles say traders should avoid bundle designs that mismatch item prices or prevent consumers from choosing the necessary amount where this forces excess spending.

Purchase information and terms matter

Before committing to a purchase, consumers should receive required information such as what is being bought, who the trader is and how to contact them, the real-world price, payment and delivery details, legal-guarantee information, and any withdrawal conditions. Terms for virtual currencies and game content should be clear, plain and fair, and cannot remove statutory consumer rights. The principles also flag terms that let a trader unilaterally alter or remove purchased currency or content, or suspend or ban an account without a way to challenge the reason.

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What the principles say about withdrawal rights

The guidance says applicable withdrawal rights should be explained and, where they apply, may be exercised within 14 days. That is not an unconditional 14-day refund promise for every digital purchase. For digital content, a consumer loses the withdrawal right only under specified conditions, including giving express consent for immediate use and acknowledging that the right will be lost. The principles separately caution that unused virtual currency should not simply be excluded from withdrawal rights.

Children and vulnerable consumers are part of the assessment

The CCPC says the issues include protections for children and other vulnerable consumers. The CPC principles call for particular care and say protections should account for consumers who may be reached by a practice, not only the group a trader intended to target. This matters when evaluating how purchase prompts, currency bundles and game terms operate in practice.

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What happens next—and what players can take from it

The Commission says dialogue with the companies has started. If the concerns are not resolved, national consumer authorities may pursue enforcement measures. The action therefore puts pricing visibility, purchase design, information and fair treatment under regulatory scrutiny, while leaving the outcome open.

For players, the practical questions are whether the euro or other real-world cost is understandable before purchase, whether currency conversions hide the price, whether a pack requires buying a surplus, and whether the purchase terms explain any applicable withdrawal rights. The principles provide a framework for those questions; the coordinated action itself does not establish that a particular company violated the law.

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Sources: European Commission coordinated actions; CCPC, 1 October 2026; CPC Network Key Principles, 21 March 2025; BEUC, 30 September 2026.

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