A leading consumer advocacy group, the Bureau Européen des Unions de Consommateurs (BEUC), has called on the European Union to impose stricter regulations on premium in-game currencies like those used in popular games such as Minecraft, Fortnite, and Clash of Clans. In an open letter, BEUC accused gaming companies of misleading players—especially children—about the true cost of digital purchases, calling these tactics a breach of EU consumer protection laws.
Representing 44 consumer organizations across 31 countries, BEUC raised concerns over overspending, particularly due to the lack of transparency when converting real money into in-game currency bundles. The group emphasized that children, who have limited financial literacy, are vulnerable to these manipulative practices, citing data that shows they spend an average of €39 per month on in-game purchases.
BEUC’s letter notes that in-game purchases generate more than $50 billion annually, a quarter of the entire gaming market’s revenue. A significant number of top-played games, including 21 of Steam’s 50 most popular titles, feature premium currencies—eight of which are rated for players aged 12 or younger.
To address these concerns, BEUC made several key recommendations, including:
- Ban or restrict premium currencies for minors: BEUC advocates for a ban on selling in-game currencies to individuals under 18, pending the outcome of the EU’s Digital Fairness Fitness Check, which is currently investigating the impact of these currencies.
- Improve price transparency: The group wants clearer information on the real-world cost of in-game currencies before purchases, with prices displayed in a way that is easy to understand.
- Consumer control over purchases: They also recommend that players should be able to choose exactly how much in-game currency they wish to purchase, rather than being forced to buy in fixed bundles determined by the game publisher.
- Enhanced consumer rights: BEUC argues that consumers should have the same rights for transactions made with in-game currencies as they do with real-money purchases, with clearer refund processes for players dissatisfied with their digital items.
- Increased privacy protections: BEUC called for default privacy settings to be set to the strictest levels to protect consumers from having their behavior manipulated by algorithms within games.
- In-game payments opt-in: The advocacy group recommended that in-game payment mechanisms be deactivated by default, making them an opt-in feature rather than the current default state of being active upon setup.
BEUC’s push for these changes aligns with growing concerns globally about the ethics of in-game purchases and how they can lead to excessive spending, particularly among young audiences. The group stressed that current consumer protection laws need to be more consistently enforced, and enforcement agencies across sectors should work together to safeguard vulnerable consumers.
This move marks a significant step in the ongoing debate over microtransactions and the influence of premium currencies on gaming culture, with EU lawmakers now expected to review these proposals as part of their broader consumer protection efforts.
