Italy Targets Microsoft Gaming Units Over Virtual Currency Practices | PYMNTS.com

The investigation, conducted alongside consumer protection authorities in Norway and Denmark, will examine whether the companies’ payment practices violate European Union consumer protection regulations, according to a report published Thursday by NewsBytes.

The regulatory action centers on the use of digital currencies that players purchase with real money and subsequently exchange for items such as character enhancements, cosmetic upgrades and virtual weapons.

Italy’s competition authority has raised concerns that pricing digital goods in proprietary currencies rather than euros can make it difficult for players to calculate their actual expenditure. The problem may be compounded when games require…