Italy investigates Activision Blizzard for pushing in-game purchases

Italy has launched two investigations into Microsoft’s Activision Blizzard, alleging the corporate has engaged in “misleading and aggressive” sales practices for its popular smartphone games Diablo Immortal and Call of Duty Mobile.

The country’s competition regulator, Autorita Garante della Concorrenza E Del Mercato (AGCM), said the investigations concentrate on using design elements to induce users, particularly children, into playing for long periods, and make in-game purchases by urging them to not miss out on rewards.

“These practices, along with strategies that make it difficult for users to know the true value of the virtual currency utilized in the sport and the sale of in-game currency in bundles, may influence players as consumers — including minors — leading them to spend significant amounts, sometimes exceeding what’s obligatory to progress in the sport and without being fully aware of the expenditure involved,” the AGCM wrote in a press release.

The AGCM said the games are advertised as free-to-play but offer in-game purchases.

That isn’t particularly surprising, nevertheless, as, unlike full-priced games, free-to-play games have long relied on loot boxes and sales of in-game cosmetics for monetization. Diablo Immortal, for instance, offers in-game cosmetics, in addition to currency that enables players to speed up their progression and gain items for crafting, for as much as $200.

Given the character of the sport, it’s common for a lot of users to repeatedly spend on such items in the middle of play.

Each Diablo Immortal and Call of Duty Mobile have player bases within the lots of of 1000’s.

The authority can be looking into the games’ parental control features, because the default settings lets minors make in-game purchases, play for long periods without restraints, and permit them to talk with others in-game. The AGCM also highlighted privacy concerns, because the games appear to steer users to pick all consent options when signing up, and said it will look into the corporate’s consent process for harvesting and using personal data.

“Within the Authority’s view, the corporate could also be acting in breach of consumer protection rules and, particularly, the duty of skilled diligence required in a sector that is especially sensitive to the risks of gaming-related addiction,” the regulator said.

Activision Blizzard didn’t immediately reply to a request for comment.