"The watchdog said the games are structured in such a way to encourage people to "play more often, extend their gaming sessions, and take up promoted offers" through "the possible use of deceptive user-interface design." "Examples include repeated prompts, both during and outside gameplay, urging users not to miss out on rewards--also through in-app messages and push notifications--as well as to purchase time-limited items before they become unavailable," the group said."
"These practices, together with strategies that make it difficult for users to understand the real value of the virtual currency used in the game 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 is necessary to progress in the game and without being fully aware of the expenditure involved."
The Italian Competition Authority opened an investigation into Activision Blizzard over claims that Diablo Immortal and Call of Duty Mobile employ misleading and aggressive practices. The inquiry focuses on user-interface designs and prompts that encourage more frequent play, longer sessions, and time-limited purchases via in-app messages and push notifications. The authority flagged opaque virtual-currency valuation and bundled sales that can lead players, including minors, to overspend without full awareness. Parental controls reportedly default to lower-protection settings, and consent flows may prompt users to grant profiling permissions under the impression they are mandatory. Activision Blizzard is now owned by Microsoft.
Read at GameSpot
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