Diablo 4, FC 24, Minecraft, Fortnite, F1 24… Why these games are accused of virtual currency scams

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In France, there are now a great many of us (about 7 out of 10) who play video games more or less occasionally. Video games that are increasingly moving towards a multiplayer trend, with the risks that this entails, but also video games that are always looking for more from our humble wallets. The future PS5 Pro, for example, will require you to pay no less than €799 to install a console without a Blu-Ray disc player at home. The UFC-Que Choisir association and the CLCV (Consumption Housing Living Environment) are sounding the alarm regarding games that integrate virtual currency.

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Virtual currency in the sights of UFC-Que Choisir and the CLCV

Indeed, nowadays, many video games allow players to buy additional items and/or features, which can be used in the game to improve the experience or progress more quickly. However, in many games, it is impossible to buy these virtual items or features directly with real euros. To do this, you have to use virtual currencies that take the form of points, coins or diamonds… to be acquired beforehand with euros.

Thus, before any in-game purchase, the consumer is forced to convert their euros into a specific currency of the game. In total, “42 % of the most played games on PC use them, this rate reaches 81 % in the most popular games on smartphone.In France, 3.6 million players have already converted money in games to buy these virtual currencies” according to UFC-Que Choisir.

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For its part, the CLCV indicates: “This is an intermediate payment method created especially for certain games and which can only be used within and for the needs of these games in order to access more features and/or extend the gaming experience.” A practice that is found in particular in Diablo 4, Roblox, Fortnite, FC 24, F1 24 or even Clash of Clans.

Furthermore, you should know that the “packs” of virtual currencies offered by publishers often do not exactly correspond to the prices displayed virtual objects. As a result, consumers are forced to purchase and convert more currency than necessary to obtain the desired object (see image above).

The remaining amount is not lost, but it is nevertheless often insufficient despite everything to buy a new object, and thus encourages to go back to the box for a coin pack.

Concretely, the CLCV, UFC-Que Choisir and the European Consumer Unions Bureau have contacted the European Commission and the network of consumer protection authorities (the equivalent of our DGCCFR) to put an end as quickly as possible, and if necessary sanction, the commercial practices of 7 video game publishers, namely: Activision Blizzard, Electronic Arts, Epic Games, Mojang Studios, Roblox Corporation, Supercell and Ubisoft. All refuse to display the price in euros of objects or content offered in virtual currencies in their video games.

More broadly, the associations are asking the Legislator to ban all forms of paid virtual currencies that deliberately distort the playful nature of video games.

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Teilor Stone

Teilor Stone has been a reporter on the news desk since 2013. Before that she wrote about young adolescence and family dynamics for Styles and was the legal affairs correspondent for the Metro desk. Before joining Thesaxon , Teilor Stone worked as a staff writer at the Village Voice and a freelancer for Newsday, The Wall Street Journal, GQ and Mirabella. To get in touch, contact me through my teilor@nizhtimes.com 1-800-268-7116