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Italy’s Competition Authority (AGCM) is leading a coordinated consumer-protection investigation with authorities in Norway and Denmark into Activision Blizzard UK Limited and other Microsoft group companies. Announced on 8 October 2026, the action examines whether game-currency and account practices could breach EU consumer-protection rules. It is an investigation—not a finding that any company has broken the law.
What Italy is investigating
The AGCM is examining how players encounter and pay for in-game purchases, including cosmetic upgrades and weapon-upgrade packs. Its concern is that a price shown in virtual currency may be harder to understand than a price in euros, particularly where a purchase requires converting money into one or more currencies or buying currency in preset bundles. The authority is also examining potentially manipulative interface design, parental controls, and help available when an account is blocked. These are investigative concerns, not established findings about every game or player. (AGCM announcement, 8 October 2026)
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The AGCM says these features could make it difficult for players to understand and track spending. It highlights minors and people at risk of gaming addiction as consumers who may be particularly vulnerable. The investigation is therefore about more than the nominal price of an item: authorities are looking at how currency conversion, bundle sizes, interface choices, and account support may affect a player’s ability to make informed choices.
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What the Commission says about the related CPC action
The European Commission’s overview of an earlier 2026 action by the Consumer Protection Cooperation (CPC) Network describes additional concerns involving Microsoft Corporation and Activision Blizzard. These include consumer-data collection, addictive design, parental-control settings that are preselected, direct exhortations to children, missing information before purchase, and unilateral account blocking. The Commission says dialogue with the companies is ongoing and that CPC authorities may consider national enforcement measures if concerns remain. (European Commission, “Social media, online games and search engines”)
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Which companies, games, and authorities are involved
Italy is the lead authority, with Norway and Denmark cooperating. The AGCM names Activision Blizzard UK Limited and refers more broadly to other Microsoft group companies, without identifying them in its announcement. Reuters also reported that the other companies were not named; their identities should not be inferred from the games discussed or from Microsoft’s wider corporate structure. (Reuters, republished by Investing.com, 8 October 2026)
The AGCM places its new coordinated action in the context of national investigations it opened in December 2025 concerning Diablo Immortal and Call of Duty. Separately, the Commission describes an early-2026 CPC action involving Microsoft Corporation and Activision Blizzard focused on Call of Duty Mobile and Diablo Immortal. These are related strands of consumer-protection activity, but the announcements describe them at different times and with different scopes; they should not be treated as a single investigation with an identical status.
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What “widespread infringement” means here
The AGCM invokes Article 3(3) of Regulation (EU) 2017/2394. It describes a widespread infringement as conduct contrary to EU consumer-protection rules that is likely to harm consumers residing in at least three EU Member States. The authority is assessing whether the conduct at issue could meet that threshold; its announcement does not say that a violation has been established. Norway is among the cooperating authorities, but the AGCM’s stated legal threshold refers to consumers in EU Member States.
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- December 2025: The AGCM says it opened national investigations into certain Microsoft group companies over Diablo Immortal and Call of Duty.
- Early 2026: The Commission says the CPC Network launched a coordinated action concerning Microsoft Corporation and Activision Blizzard, focused on Call of Duty Mobile and Diablo Immortal. The Commission reports that dialogue is ongoing.
- 30 September 2026: The AGCM says the Commission announced new coordinated actions in the CPC Network involving video-game companies.
- 8 October 2026: The AGCM announced that Italy is leading a coordinated action with Norway and Denmark concerning Activision Blizzard UK Limited and other Microsoft group companies.
What has—and has not—been decided
The October announcement describes an examination of possible consumer-law concerns. It does not announce a final conclusion, sanction, or remedy, and it gives no completion date. It also does not name every Microsoft group company in scope or establish a company response to this specific Italian-led action. The Commission’s statement that dialogue is ongoing applies to the earlier CPC action it describes; it should not be assumed to establish the status or outcome of the newly announced action.
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- PRECISION PERFORMANCE — Stay on target with a hybrid D-pad and textured grips on triggers, bumpers, and back case for improved accuracy and handling.
- SHARE BUTTON: Seamlessly capture and share content such as screenshots, recordings, and more with the new Share button.
- VERSATILE CONNECTIVITY — Connect via USB-C for plug-and-play on console and PC, or quickly pair and switch between supported devices with XBOX Wireless and Bluetooth support.
- BUILT-IN AUDIO SUPPORT — Plug in compatible headsets using the 3.5mm audio jack for direct voice chat and immersive in-game sound.
Neither the AGCM nor the Commission material cited here provides a quantified estimate of affected players, spending, or prevalence. The significance of the action is its focus on whether game-purchase and account practices let consumers—especially children—understand costs, control spending, and obtain assistance, not a reported measurement of harm.
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