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Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →On 30 September 2026, the EU’s Consumer Protection Cooperation (CPC) Network announced 11 coordinated actions over commercial practices involving in-game virtual currencies. Video Games Europe (VGE) and the European Games Developer Federation (EGDF) challenged the Network’s legal framing and offered consumer-protection commitments—but said they would implement them only if the legal uncertainty they identify is resolved. The announcement is not a final finding that every named game broke the law.
What did the EU announce?
The CPC Network brings together national consumer-protection authorities across the EU and EEA, with the European Commission coordinating its work. Its 30 September 2026 joint statement says coordinated action is appropriate because games are cross-border products and authorities need consistent enforcement across the single market. The stated aim is to bring the practices in question into line with EU consumer-protection law.
The Commission’s statement names these companies and associated games. The actions concern the listed titles, not every game made by each publisher:
- Activision Blizzard UK Limited — Diablo Immortal and Call of Duty Mobile
- Crytek GmbH — Hunt: Showdown 1896
- InnoGames GmbH — Forge of Empires
- King.com Limited — Candy Crush Saga
- Mojang AB — Minecraft
- Plarium Europe S.à.r.l. — Mech Arena
- PLR Worldwide Sales Limited — Gardenscapes
- Riot Games Limited — Valorant
- Supercell Oy — Clash of Clans
- Ubisoft EMEA SAS — For Honor
The Commission says the titles were selected in a wide-scale market compliance check because of their reach, cross-device access and varied age ratings. The announcement describes coordinated enforcement proceedings, not penalties or completed rulings against every company.
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What practices are authorities concerned about?
The CPC Network says it issued non-binding Key Principles on in-game virtual currencies in March 2025, then held dialogue with industry organisations, including Commission-facilitated workshops in June and September 2025 and written exchanges. The Network says it found indications that many companies made no substantive changes after that guidance and dialogue. That is the regulator’s account of the industry’s response, not a determination about each named title.
The statement identifies several areas of concern:
- Variable reward systems such as loot boxes, particularly when directed at or available to children.
- Dark patterns and other influencing techniques that can lead consumers to spend more money or time than they intended.
- Aggressive commercial practices affecting vulnerable consumers.
- Direct exhortations to children to make purchases. The Network notes that EU consumer law explicitly prohibits such exhortations.
The Commission cites the Unfair Commercial Practices Directive (2005/29/EC), Consumer Rights Directive (2011/83/EU), Unfair Contract Terms Directive (93/13/EEC) and Digital Content Directive (EU 2019/770) among the laws relevant to its concerns. The Key Principles are guidance, not legislation; the coordinated actions do not themselves establish that a particular practice violated those laws.
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Why are VGE and EGDF pushing back?
In their 30 September response, VGE and EGDF say their members engaged constructively on transparency, refunds, bundles and withdrawal rights. Their central objection is the CPC Network’s classification of in-game currencies as “digital representations of value.” The trade bodies argue that such currencies are part of a game and are not bitcoin or cryptocurrency. They also say they have asked for the legal basis of the Network’s position since spring 2025 and have not received it.
The bodies cite Court of Justice of the European Union case C-472/24, concerning RuneScape-related in-game currency, and read it as support for treating game currency as part of the game rather than a currency or digital representation of value. That is the industry’s interpretation; the Commission’s September statement does not settle the disagreement or determine what the judgment means for these proceedings.
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VGE and EGDF’s 18 September letter says the CPC Network replied to revised proposals on 16 July and rejected most of them based on the disputed classification. This account of the correspondence and the reason for the response comes from the trade bodies.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What safeguards did the industry propose?
VGE and EGDF published six areas of proposed commitments in a summary of their proposals. The proposals are conditional: the bodies say implementation depends on addressing the legal uncertainty they identify. They have not been presented as measures accepted by the CPC Network or as safeguards already in place across the named games.
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1. Make prices and currency use easier to understand
- Show the real-world cost of paid currency through an indicative cost or unit price.
- Keep the player’s currency balance visible, explain how paid and earned currency is used, and provide centralised transaction-history information.
2. Avoid currency structures that obscure costs
The bodies propose avoiding practices that hide the price of currency. For future releases or updates, they also propose avoiding currency that can only be used to buy other currency by proxy, or that can only be acquired directly with paid currency.
3. Offer smaller top-ups
Alongside standard bundles, the proposal is to offer a tailored top-up or a very small bundle so players can buy closer to the amount needed for an item.
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4. Refund unused bundles in specified cases
The proposal would refund a bundle wholly unused within 48 hours—even if withdrawal rights were waived—when the developer manages the transaction on the applicable platform and can verify that the currency remains unused. VGE and EGDF’s proposal document says this would go beyond existing consumer-law requirements. It is a proposed commitment, not a universal refund entitlement currently established for game purchases.
5. Give notice and recourse when content or accounts change
- Give reasonable notice before removing currency and explain in the terms why in-game content may change.
- Allow changes needed to keep a game balanced and functional or to remove illegal or harmful content.
- Give at least 30 days’ notice before removing other persistent purchased content.
- Provide a way to contest bans, suspensions or account/content removal.
6. Make purchases safer for children
- Make optional purchases clear before play and distinguish purchases from gameplay.
- Use age-rating systems and give parents tools to block or limit spending.
- Reimburse a minor’s purchase that manifestly occurred without explicit parental consent; the company managing the transaction would direct the parent to relevant controls.
What happens next?
The available statements establish that the CPC Network announced coordinated actions and that VGE and EGDF disputed its legal approach while offering conditional proposals. They do not establish how each company responded to its national authority, whether particular practices changed after the announcement, what remedies or conclusions authorities will issue, or whether a court will resolve the classification dispute. The proceedings’ individual outcomes therefore remain open.
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