Minecraft, Candy Crush Among 11 Games in EU Virtual Currency Crackdown

What happened

Consumer protection watchdogs in Europe have launched an investigation into the companies behind popular online games – including the creators of Candy Crush, Minecraft and Clash of Clans – over how they price and operate in-game transactions. The probe was launched after talks between the European Commission’s Consumer Protection Cooperation (CPC) Network and groups representing the interests of video game makers failed to bring better transparency around the use of in-game currencies.

The guidelines exclude cryptocurrencies, leaving tokens outside a regime written for currencies bought with real money inside games. BUSINESS EU probes Candy Crush, Minecraft creators over in-game payments by Suhasini Srinivasaragavan 1 Oct 2026 Save article Image: © Diego/Stock.adobe.com Nine companies, including Ubisoft, Mojang, King and Riot Games, are being investigated. After the failed talks, the CPC Network carried out a large-scale market check and identified several games requiring further action, Ireland’s Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) said.