Let’s be honest here, the birth and evolution of microtransactions in video games is one of the most controversial topics. We’ve seen a number of developers hopping onto this business model and taking advantage of players with predatory practices.
At the forefront of this money-making strategy are Marvel Rivals and Fortnite. These live-service titles rely heavily on microtransactions as one of the primary revenue sources. However, it seems like their business model might run into some problems soon, as the European Union has stepped up with a regulatory framework to curb video game monetization practices.
EU’s new ruling on predatory microtransactions
A few days ago, the Consumer Protection Cooperation Network (CPC) stated that Star Stable Entertainment AB’s commercial practices in their game, Star Stable Online, were harmful to players. These include things such as directly appealing to children through advertisements, pressuring techniques, and lack of adequate information.
Star Stable Entertainment AB now has a month to reply to all the issues raised by CPC Network. However, CPC is convinced that there’s a need for all European consumers to be protected in a better manner. In order to achieve that, they both drafted some guidelines alongside seven “key principles” that are required to be followed for all virtual currencies.
According to the new guidelines, game developers behind titles such as Marvel Rivals and Fortnite can no longer hide the price of microtransactions with virtual currencies. This doesn’t mean that virtual currencies are being removed, but now all online games in the EU will have to showcase the real-world price of any cosmetics that are available to purchase.
It’s crucial to keep in mind these guidelines haven’t been officially made into law yet. Developers don’t have to comply and can carry on with their predatory monetary practices. However, it does mean that they can be more prone to incoming lawsuits. Anyone who sues such developers will have the official backing of the CPC and the European Commission.
CPC has stated that it will continue to monitor the situation and take further action if these monetization practices continue in the future. While it’s great to see that the EU is finally stepping up and dealing with the issue, other regions such as the US and UK still haven’t brought any guidelines against the hiding real prices of microtransactions.
Marvel Rivals isn’t bad as its competitors
While Marvel Rivals is a live-service game and follows all the industry trends, it’s not as predatory as its competitors, such as Overwatch 2. When the Blizzard hero shooter was first released, it was bashed by critics, and fans liked it for its monetization practices.
Even though the sequel was free-to-play, most of the progression revolved around the infamous Battle Pass system. Some heroes were locked behind this system, and even loot boxes were removed. Blizzard might have revised some of these changes, but the damage is done.
Marvel Rivals took note of Overwatch 2‘s monetization practices and avoided them. Right when the game debuted, all 33 heroes were immediately unlockable for free, and it’s going to be the same for all future additions. This also includes all the new maps and modes to be added.
Developer NetEase Games is only charging players for cosmetics, and even that’s at reasonable prices. Gamers can unlock a free Battle Pass every season that unlocks new cinematics, skins, and other cosmetics. Those who purchase Luxury Battle Pass can get additional rewards without having to worry about any time limits to complete it.
With that said, what do you think about the EU’s new guidelines against predatory monetization practices? Let us know in the comments below.
This post belongs to FandomWire and first appeared on FandomWire
