The European Union has taken a bold step against some of the gaming industry's biggest names, including Ubisoft and Riot Games, with Activision Blizzard facing a related but separate probe. On September 30, 2026, the European Commission's Consumer Protection Cooperation (CPC) Network launched a coordinated action against nine companies, Crytek, InnoGames, King.com, Mojang, Plarium Europe, PLR Worldwide Sales, Riot Games, Supercell, and Ubisoft EMEA, over their controversial use of in-game currencies, a strategy often criticized for leaving players with unusable leftover balances. Separately, Italy's Competition Authority (AGCM) is leading its own investigation specifically into Activision Blizzard, backed by consumer-protection authorities in Norway and Denmark, aiming to address the same long-standing concerns around monetization transparency and fairness.
In recent years, the gaming industry has seen a significant shift towards freemium and live-service models. Games like Fortnite and Diablo Immortal have popularized these models, relying heavily on microtransactions to generate revenue. This approach, however, has sparked widespread debate about consumer rights and the ethics of targeting younger audiences with monetization schemes that some consider exploitative. The EU's actions reflect a growing global sentiment against these practices, aligning with a push for more ethical gaming environments and greater accountability from gaming companies.
Nine companies in total are targeted by the CPC Network's sweep, including major players like Mojang, known for Minecraft, and Crytek, alongside Ubisoft and Riot. The scrutiny is particularly focused on how these companies bundle virtual currency, creating scenarios where players are left with small, often unusable amounts of currency, effectively nudging them towards further purchases. This tactic has long been criticized for its lack of transparency and fairness, often leaving players feeling manipulated. Activision Blizzard's case runs on a separate track: Italy's AGCM had already launched national proceedings against the company in January 2026, citing aggressive marketing tactics and unclear in-game currency systems in titles like Diablo Immortal and Call of Duty: Mobile, and its new EU-level scrutiny builds directly on that earlier case.
Global Efforts to Reform Gaming Practices
Globally, efforts to reform digital gaming practices are gaining momentum. In 2023, the European rating organization PEGI fined Activision Blizzard €5,000 for not disclosing the presence of loot boxes in Diablo Immortal, highlighting ongoing issues with transparency. Meanwhile, Epic Games, in a landmark case, agreed to a $520 million settlement with the FTC in December 2022 over misleading interfaces and violations of the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA). These cases underscore a growing intolerance for manipulative monetization, pushing companies to consider consumer protection more seriously.
Ultimately, the EU's push against these gaming giants could lead to a reshaping of monetization strategies industry-wide. Some companies, like Epic Games, are already adapting by allowing players to purchase exact amounts of virtual currency for games like Fortnite. This move, announced in September 2025, aims to eliminate leftover currency issues and marks a significant step towards more consumer-friendly practices. The broader industry response remains to be seen, but the gaming world is watching closely. These investigations could set new standards for transparency and fairness in digital transactions, potentially ushering in a new era of consumer protection in gaming.
*The image for this article was AI-generated.