Italian antitrust authority investigates Microsoft games for abusive monetization.

• "Free" games encourage excessive spending on in-app purchases.
• Manipulative design pressures quick consumer decisions.
• Weak parental controls expose minors to financial risks.

Italian regulators have opened an investigation into possible deceptive business practices involving two of the most popular mobile games in the catalog of Activision Blizzard, now controlled by Microsoft. The investigation focuses on Diablo Immortal and Call of Duty Mobile, both classified as free-to-play, but with extensive use of in-app purchases.

The initiative came from the Italian Competition and Market Authority, Autorità Garante della Concorrenza e del Mercato (AGCM), which suspects that the titles use mechanisms considered aggressive to stimulate recurring spending. According to the agency, there is evidence that the games encourage prolonged sessions and impulsive purchase decisions through insistent messages, limited-time offers, and s that pressure the player to act quickly so as not to miss out on rewards.

One of the central points of the investigation involves how virtual currencies are presented to users. For regulators, the lack of clarity about the real value of these credits, coupled with the sale in closed packages, can lead consumers to spend more than necessary without realizing it. This risk would be even greater in the case of younger players, who may not fully understand the financial impact of digital purchases.

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The authority also assesses whether the games adopt design elements that manipulate user behavior, a practice known in the industry as persuasive interfaces. The suspicion is that this type of structure leads players to return frequently, prolong their usage time, and unconsciously accept sponsored offers.

Another aspect under analysis concerns parental controls. According to the AGCM, the initial settings are not very restrictive, allowing minors to make in-game purchases, play indefinitely, and interact freely with other users if there is no active intervention from their guardians. The investigation also intends to examine how consent is obtained for the use of personal data during registration, especially when it involves children and adolescents.

Furthermore, regulators are assessing whether the information provided to players about their contractual rights is sufficient. There is concern about the possibility of users waiving guarantees, such as the right of withdrawal, without full knowledge, as well as about potential unilateral account blocks, which could result in the loss of money already spent.

To date, neither Microsoft nor Activision Blizzard have officially commented on the opening of the investigations. The case broadens regulatory scrutiny of monetization models in digital games, especially in a context where free-to-play titles increasingly rely on microtransactions to generate revenue.