EU consumer authorities challenge how nine game companies sell in-game currencies

European consumer authorities have formally taken issue with the virtual currencies sold inside games. The EU's Consumer Protection Cooperation (CPC) Network, coordinated by the European Commission, has launched EU-level coordinated actions against nine video game companies[1]. The list includes Riot Games, Ubisoft, Minecraft maker Mojang and Candy Crush Saga publisher King[1]. This article is current as of October 12, 2026.

Nine companies, nine games

The Commission names Crytek, InnoGames, King.com, Mojang, Plarium Europe, PLR Worldwide Sales, Riot Games, Supercell and Ubisoft EMEA. The games in focus are Candy Crush Saga, Clash of Clans, Forge of Empires, For Honor, Gardenscapes, Hunt: Showdown 1896, Mech Arena, Minecraft and Valorant[1].

The authorities suspect that the way these companies handle in-game virtual currencies may breach EU consumer law, and the network has opened a dialogue with each company. If the companies fail to address the concerns, the Commission says national authorities may take enforcement measures[1]. The same page carries the CPC Network's joint statement on stronger consumer protection in video games, dated September 30, 2026[1].

What the authorities object to

The actions follow up on the Key Principles on in-game virtual currencies that the CPC Network adopted on March 21, 2025[1]. Those principles ask for four things: clear and transparent pricing and pre-contractual information, no practices that hide the cost of digital content or force players to buy virtual currency, respect for the right of withdrawal, and attention to vulnerable consumers, children in particular[1]. The Commission says it invited the industry to show how it would comply, but the dialogue did not produce satisfactory solutions, so the issues are now being handled through coordinated enforcement actions[1].

Ireland's Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) published a more detailed list of what is being examined. It includes whether players can easily see the real-world cost of in-game purchases and currencies, whether currency exchanges make prices hard to understand, and whether players feel pressure to buy excessive amounts of currency to progress. It also covers whether players are told about their right to withdraw from contracts within 14 days, including for unused virtual currency[2].

Activision Blizzard is a separate case

Activision Blizzard, part of Microsoft, is not one of the nine. In early 2026 the CPC Network launched a separate coordinated action over Call of Duty Mobile and Diablo Immortal. Beyond the sale of virtual currencies, it covers data collection, potentially addictive design, preselected parental control settings, direct exhortation to children, missing pre-contractual information and unilateral blocking of gaming accounts. That action is still ongoing[1].

These proceedings concern EU consumer law, so they do not automatically change how the same games are sold outside the EU. As of October 12, the Commission's page lists no company responses or changes to how the currencies are sold. If you play one of the nine games, the next things to watch are whether store pages start showing real-money prices next to currency bundles and whether refund information for unused currency changes.

Sources

[1] European Commission. Social media, online games and search engines. CPC coordinated actions, joint statement dated September 30, 2026.

[2] Competition and Consumer Protection Commission. CCPC and EU consumer authorities launch joint actions into online gaming practices. October 1, 2026.