The European Commission has announced coordinated action against eleven video games whose in-game purchase systems, in its view, fail to meet the rules the EU laid out last year. Among the titles named are heavyweights like Call of Duty Mobile, Minecraft and Valorant – and behind them sit publishers of the size of Activision Blizzard, Mojang and Ubisoft.
What rules are we talking about?
In 2025, the EU published the Key Principles on In-Game Virtual Currency, a set of guidelines for in-game purchases drawn up by the Consumer Protection Cooperation Network (the CPC Network). The principles demand that you can see the real-world price, that publishers stop hiding costs behind layers of currency conversions, and that nobody forces you into buying a bundle you don’t want. They aim primarily at mechanics around in-game purchases such as loot boxes, which some countries have already banned outright or regulated heavily.
According to the Commission, a large number of games simply didn’t follow the principles – hence the move to a joint action.
The eleven games named
- Call of Duty Mobile
- Diablo Immortal
- Minecraft
- Valorant
- Clash of Clans
- For Honor
- Hunt: Showdown 1896
- Forge of Empires
- Candy Crush Saga
- Mech Arena
- Gardenscapes
In their joint statement, the Commission and the CPC Network said that “some video game business models and design practices harm consumers, especially vulnerable groups such as children.” They added that consumers across Europe “should be able to play and interact with video games without being tricked into spending more money or time on video games than they want.”
What the games will have to change
The CPC Network says the coordinated action will require the named titles to meet a list of requirements:
- clear and transparent pricing
- no obscuring of real costs
- no forced purchases of in-game currency
- complete information before you confirm a purchase
- respect for the right to withdraw
- fair and easy-to-understand terms
- protection for vulnerable consumers
The group also called on other games with aggressive microtransaction systems to review their own policies voluntarily, before the committee turns its attention to them as well. In practice that means the list of eleven titles may be only the start – and that you could see the changes in plenty of other live-service games too. If you follow business and regulatory news from the industry, you’ll find more of it in our gaming articles.
The industry disagrees
The European Game Developers Federation (EGDF) has pushed back on the Commission’s move. “Since spring 2025, the industry has asked the CPC Network for the legal basis of their position, which they still have not shared,” the federation stated. In its view, the action against well-known developers does not rest on “clear and transparent” proposals. The EGDF says its members tried to work out better solutions together with EU committees, but a “substantial disagreement” remains between game companies and the CPC Network.
The core of the dispute appears to be how in-game currencies are classified. The EU wants to treat currencies like Call of Duty Points as “digital representations of value” – a category that also covers cryptocurrencies – and publishers are reportedly far from happy about that. Either way, the disagreement hasn’t halted the legal process, so European players could start noticing changes in big live-service titles such as Call of Duty Mobile before long.
What it means for you
If the action goes through, the most visible shift should be in how stores display prices: a real-money figure next to the premium currency, no mandatory oversized currency packs, and clearer information before you confirm a payment. The EGDF’s objections suggest, however, that this will not be a quick process.
Where to read next: other corporate moves in the industry are covered in our piece on Microsoft layoffs, and we also wrote up Satya Nadella’s comments on the Xbox restructuring.
FAQ
No. The action requires the named titles to bring their in-game purchase practices in line with the Key Principles on In-Game Virtual Currency – it is not a ban on the games themselves.
Call of Duty Mobile, Diablo Immortal, Minecraft, Valorant, Clash of Clans, For Honor, Hunt: Showdown 1896, Forge of Empires, Candy Crush Saga, Mech Arena and Gardenscapes.
Transparent pricing, an end to hiding real costs behind currency conversions, no forced purchases of in-game currency, full information before a purchase, respect for the right to withdraw, understandable terms and protection for vulnerable consumers.
The EGDF says the CPC Network has still not shared the legal basis for its position, and that the proposals are not clear and transparent. The dispute also centers on the EU’s wish to treat in-game currencies as “digital representations of value.”
Yes. The CPC Network has asked other games with aggressive microtransactions to review their policies on their own before any action is taken against them.