The UFC Que Choisir association has put the publisher EA on notice. She criticizes him for the intensive use of certain deceptive commercial methods in his games, such as the presence of virtual currencies which can create danger for young consumers.
Virtual currencies or other lootboxes are commonplace in video games today and we are all used to them. This does not change the fact that these are more than questionable practices to empty the player’s wallet. The association UFC Que Choisir is tackling the subject today, taking the publisher EA to task.
It is in the company of twenty other European associations that the UFC denounces the practices of EA. Games such as FIFA, The Sims or APEX Legends are singled out, in particular for the use of their virtual currency.
UFC wants more transparency in EA games
When you want to buy something in-game, like a FUT card pack in FIFA 22, you don’t pay with euros, but with virtual currency… which can be easily bought with euros. A two-stage transaction that blurs the tracks, according to the UFC:
“The video game industry has put in place a clever ploy, dividing the purchase of in-game content into two stages. The consumer is first obliged to buy a defined quantity of virtual currency, exclusively usable in-game, before spending that pot to purchase content. But the publishers do not bother to transcribe the price in euros before the purchase: everything is organized to make the consumer forget the price of the content he is paying. »
The UFC and the other associations are therefore asking clear price display of each item in play, or even the total banishment of these practices:
“Faced with these new methods, UFC-Que Choisir challenges 10 video game publishers on their practice, and gives formal notice to the publisher EA Games, publisher of Fifa, Battlefield and NHL, to display the prices of content in euros. that he sells in his video games. »
EA is targeted here, but the UFC also calls on other game publishers to reason.
Read also – FIFA 22 will be the last episode of the series, the football game changes its name
These commercial practices have gradually settled in the video game landscape and are now accepted by players, if not accepted. However, we must not forget that this is unscrupulous methods to rob you of your money, even in a game you’ve already paid full price. Virtual currency is often accompanied by Lootboxes, these “gift” pouches synonymous with lottery.
Some countries have already purely and simply ban these practices on their territory. This is the case of Belgium and the Netherlands, for example. Publishers cannot release certain games there. We recently saw it with Diablo Immortal, unwanted in the Benelux. If this regulation becomes the norm around the world, developers will have no choice but to simply remove lootboxes.
Source : UFC What To Choose