Italy: Competition Authority opened investigations into Activision Blizzard over alleged misleading and aggressive commercial practices

On 16 January 2026, the Italian Competition Authority opened two investigations into Activision Blizzard, a subsidiary of the Microsoft group, concerning potential misleading and aggressive commercial practices in the video games Diablo Immortal and Call of Duty Mobile. The Authority is examining whether the company breached the Consumer Code through the use of user-interface design choices that may influence consumers, including minors, to increase playtime and make in-game purchases without clear awareness. The assessment covers, among other aspects, the use of push notifications for time-limited items and virtual currency bundles whose structure may make the actual monetary cost of transactions less transparent. The investigations also consider default parental control settings, the mechanisms used to obtain consent for personal data profiling, the adequacy of information provided on contractual rights, and whether account suspensions may lead to the loss of funds spent on digital content.