Misleading practices

EA, Epic & Co in the sights of consumer protection organizations

Leading companies in the video games industry, including heavyweights such as Epic Games, Electronic Arts and Roblox, are facing a consumer complaint in the European Union. They are misleading players, especially children, into spending money.

Consumers, especially children, are often unable to see the true cost of digital products, which leads to overspending, according to the complaint submitted by the EU consumer organization BEUC and 22 of its members to the EU Commission and EU consumer protection authorities on Wednesday.

 "Our members have identified numerous cases where players are misled into spending money," said BEUC Director General Agustin Reyna. He called on regulators to take action. "The virtual world of games must also follow real rules."

The complaint is also directed against Microsoft's Activision Blizzard, Ubisoft "Minecraft" developer Mojang Studios and Supercell, which is majority-owned by the Chinese company Tencent.