Activision Blizzard is being fined by the PEGI (Pan-European Game Information) Complaints Board and Enforcement Committee for the inclusion of microtransactions in its 2022 mobile game Devil Immortal.
This news comes just after Nintendo was sued in North America for their implementation of loot box microtransactions in Mario Kart Tour. However, this decision comes from the PEGI European game rating board after a reassessment of the rating of Devil Immortal. Activision Blizzard, along with Hunt: Showdown Bounty Hunter – Limited Edition Publisher Plaion, was fined for failing to properly disclose the presence of microtransactions in its games when disclosing information to PEGI for a game rating. That is a shocking omission in Diablo Immortal caseconsidering how much it attracts players to spend money in the game.
“Both games were released in 2022 and while they contain random paid items (such as loot boxes or card packs), this was not disclosed to PEGI when the games were submitted for a qualifying license,” says a description of the case. “As this amounts to a violation of the rules outlined in the PEGI Code of Conduct, the PEGI Compliance Committee fined both companies €5,000. The companies also took immediate steps to update relevant store listings and marketing materials.
A fine of just €5,000 is an extremely small drop in the bucket for a company like Activision Blizzard; It was estimated that only Devil Immortal I was earning $1 million a day around its release by Appmagic. Still, it’s a noteworthy slap on the wrist, and will hopefully encourage companies like Activision Blizzard to be more open and honest about the presence and relevance of microtransactions in their games.
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