EU and Italy turn up the pressure on Activision, Riot and Ubisoft over virtual currencies
A coordinated action challenges currencies that obscure real prices and the protection of minors.
Per Kotaku, the EU consumer-protection cooperation network has launched actions against ten companies, including Activision Blizzard, Mojang, Ubisoft, Riot Games, Crytek, Supercell, InnoGames, King, Plarium and Playrix. The complaints: house currencies that rarely match item prices, bundles that leave unspendable balances, dark patterns, weak parental controls and little help with blocked accounts.
On October 8, Italy's competition authority (AGCM) also opened a probe into Activision Blizzard over children's spending in its games, per Euronews. These are early-stage proceedings: no source mentions proven violations or specific penalties.
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