The Italian Competition Authority (AGCM) has launched two investigations into Activision Blizzard, part of the Microsoft group, concerning the games Diablo Immortal and Call of Duty Mobile. Although marketed as free-to-play, both titles include in-game purchases that the Authority claims may constitute misleading and aggressive commercial practices and violate consumer rights.

The investigations focus on the potential use of manipulative interface designs aimed at encouraging continuous play and pressuring users to engage with promotional offers. Practices under scrutiny include repeated prompts to avoid missing rewards, delivered during gameplay and through in-app messages and push notifications, as well as time-limited purchase promotions.

According to the Antitrust Authority, these strategies, combined with limited transparency on the real value of virtual currency and pre-packaged bundles, may significantly influence consumers - including minors - leading them to spend substantial sums without fully understanding the cost.

Further concerns relate to pre-configured parental controls, which appear to provide insufficient protection for minors by allowing unlimited playtime, in-game purchases, and interaction with other users, without active parental supervision. The Authority also plans to examine the process for obtaining consent for data collection, as users, including minors, may be induced to accept commercial profiling automatically.

Finally, the inquiries cover alleged deficiencies in information about players’ contractual rights, such as withdrawal rights, and the company’s ability to unilaterally block accounts without proper justification or recourse, potentially resulting in the loss of purchased digital content.