Minecraft, Candy Crush Among 11 Games in EU Virtual Currency Crackdown

European client authorities have opened eleven coordinated actions towards ten video video games corporations over the best way they promote and worth in-game digital currencies, the European Fee said Wednesday.

The Shopper Safety Cooperation Community, which teams nationwide enforcement our bodies and is coordinated by the Fee, named Activision Blizzard UK, Crytek, InnoGames, King.com, Mojang, Plarium Europe, PLR Worldwide Gross sales, Riot Video games, Supercell and Ubisoft EMEA in a joint statement.

The video games are Diablo Immortal, Name of Responsibility Cell, Hunt: Showdown 1896, Forge of Empires, Sweet Crush Saga, Minecraft, Mech Enviornment, Gardenscapes, Valorant, Conflict of Clans and For Honor, picked for his or her broad attain, availability throughout units and vary of age rankings.

The actions observe key principles the community revealed in March 2025. These say the real-world worth of in-game objects and foreign money should be proven prominently, that merchants mustn’t combine a number of currencies or require repeated exchanges in ways in which obscure value, and that gamers shouldn’t be pushed into shopping for extra foreign money than an merchandise wants. Bundles that intentionally mismatch merchandise costs, leaving gamers with a stranded steadiness, are among the many practices to keep away from.

Gamers additionally hold a 14-day proper of withdrawal, the rules say, together with for digital foreign money they’ve purchased however not spent. Contract phrases granting corporations the unilateral proper to alter the worth of in-game foreign money, or to shut accounts with out the potential of contesting it, are flagged as unfair.

Youngsters are handled as all the time susceptible, and any sport not aimed completely at adults ought to count on a big share of under-18 gamers. It additionally courses excessive spenders as a susceptible group, saying so-called whales “are prone to battle with impulse management or playing problems” and that video games constructed round them face a stricter equity check.

Crypto sits exterior all of it. A footnote excludes cryptocurrencies and comparable digital currencies that work in its place type of cost utilizing encryption, together with digital currencies as outlined within the EU’s fifth anti-money laundering directive. Currencies that may solely be earned via play, and by no means purchased, are excluded too. The regime is aimed squarely at currencies purchased with actual cash inside closed sport economies.

The actions additionally attain past pricing. The community mentioned it’s giving explicit consideration to variable reward techniques equivalent to loot containers, particularly the place they’re aimed toward or obtainable to kids, alongside darkish patterns, aggressive business practices and direct exhortation of youngsters to purchase, which EU legislation already prohibits. Deceptive countdown timers and unfounded shortage claims are named among the many strategies at situation. Within the Activision Blizzard case the community can be analyzing knowledge assortment, addictive design, default parental controls and account blocking.

The community opened a dialogue with business our bodies final 12 months, holding workshops in June and September 2025. It has since discovered indications {that a} excessive variety of corporations made no substantive adjustments to their video games because of this, both of the revealed steerage or of years of talks. Self-regulation schemes equivalent to PEGI have introduced some enhancements, it mentioned, however typically fail to deal with the core of the dangerous practices.