EU Regulators Take Aim at Activision, Riot, and Ubisoft Over In-Game Currency

European regulators are stepping up scrutiny of one of gaming's longest-running and most controversial monetization practices: proprietary in-game currencies. Italian authorities are leading the charge, taking direct action against major publishers Activision, Riot Games, and Ubisoft over what regulators describe as predatory payment systems that obscure real-money costs from players. The move is part of a broader global trend, as courts and consumer protection bodies in multiple regions increasingly question whether these currency systems are designed to manipulate spending behavior by deliberately misaligning the value of purchased tokens with the actual prices of in-game items.

The crackdown targets a model that has been a staple of the games industry for well over a decade, used in titles ranging from Call of Duty and League of Legends to Ubisoft's various live-service offerings. Critics have long argued that bundling purchases into non-round denominations of virtual currency forces players to always have leftover balance, nudging them toward additional spending. With Italian regulators now formally acting, the case could set a significant precedent for how in-game economies are governed across the European Union and potentially inspire further regulatory action worldwide.

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