Video Games Europe hits back at EU watchdog targeting King, Supercell, Mojang and more over IAP practices

The EU’s Consumer Protection Cooperation Network has launched coordinated enforcement actions against games companies including King, Supercell, Mojang, Riot Games, Activision Blizzard and Ubisoft, over how they sell and handle in-game virtual currencies. Crytek, InnoGames, Plarium Europe and PLR Worldwide Sales are also named.

The CPC Network brings together national consumer protection authorities from across the EU and EEA and is coordinated by the European Commission. In a joint statement published September 30, it said it had found that “a high number of video game companies” had made no substantive changes to their practices since it published non-binding “Key Principles” on in-game currencies in March 2025, despite extensive subsequent talks with industry bodies.

It said the coordinated actions are particularly focused on compliance around variable reward systems such as loot boxes, “dark patterns” and other “harmful influencing techniques”, and practices that directly exhort children to spend money, which it says EU law already prohibits.

Video Games Europe and the European Game Developers Federation pushed back on the CPC Network’s actions in a statement also published on September 30.

The trade bodies dispute the CPC Network’s core legal framing, arguing in-game currencies aren’t “digital representations of value” comparable to crypto, pointing to a European Court of Justice ruling on Runescape’s currency as support, and saying they’ve been asking since spring 2025 for the legal basis of that classification without getting an answer.

In a separate proposals document submitted to the CPC Network, the two bodies outlined six commitments the industry says it’s willing to make. These include clearer real-money pricing on virtual currency, refunds for wholly unused bundles within 48 hours even where withdrawal rights have been waived, 30 days’ notice before removing purchased content and child-safety measures like parental controls and reimbursement for unauthorised purchases made by minors.

They say they’re ready to implement these “on the condition that the legal uncertainty is addressed.”