Epic Games, EA and other video game firms hit with EU complaint over ‘manipulative spending tactics’

A consumer watchdog body of the European Union complained and accused major video game companies of misleading gamers into spending money.

Epic Games, Electronic Arts, Roblox, and four other companies were hit with the complaint on Thursday (September 12).

The complaint was sent by The European Consumer Organization (BEUC) and 22 of its members from across 17 countries and was filed with the European Commission and the European Network of Consumer Authorities.

The four other companies include Microsoft’s Activision Blizzard, Mojang Studios, Supercell, and Ubisoft.

In the complaint, the organization says their alert “exposes how the video game industry maximizes consumers’ spending by using premium in-game currencies.”

The BEUC and its members suggest that “consumers cannot see the real cost of digital items” which can lead to “overspending.”

EU’s BEUC says there’s a lack of price transparency in video game sector

“The lack of price transparency of premium in-game currencies and the need to buy extra currency in bundles pushes consumers to spend more. In-game purchases should always be displayed in real money (e.g.: Euro), or at least they should display the equivalence in real-world currency.”

They also allege that “children are even more vulnerable to these manipulative tactics.” According to their data, children in Europe are spending on average €39 per month on in-game purchases.

The director general of BEUC, Agustín Reyna, said: “The online world brings new challenges for consumer protection, and it shouldn’t be a place where companies bend the rules to increase profits.

“BEUC’s members have identified numerous cases where gamers are misled into spending money. Regulators must act, making it clear that even though the gaming world is virtual, it still needs to abide by real-world rules.

“Gamers shouldn’t need to rely on a calculator anytime they want to make an informed decision on how much they want to spend. The money they spend should be displayed in real money and deceptive practices must be stopped.

“Today, premium in-game currencies are purposefully tricking consumers and take a big toll on children. Companies are well aware of children’s vulnerability and use tricks to lure younger consumers into spending more.”

Featured Image: AI generated by Ideogram

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