The CMA has secured improvements for Xbox online players, following concerns about Microsoft’s use of auto-renewing subscriptions for online gaming services
The changes relate to Microsoft’s practices in relation to the automatic renewal of contracts for online gaming services. Microsoft’s Xbox Live Gold and Game Pass products allow people to access a library of games and play together online. They are offered as memberships which are often entered into on an auto-renewal basis. This means that membership is automatically rolled over at the end of each contract period and the customer charged unless they actively take steps to stop the subscription.
As part of an investigation into the online console video gaming sector the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) identified concerns about certain features of Microsoft’s auto-renewing subscriptions, in particular: whether it was clear upfront that contracts would automatically renew; how easy it was to turn off automatic renewal; and whether people may not have realised they were still paying for services they no longer used.
The CMA has secured undertakings with Microsoft which are designed to address these concerns. The improvements include:
Michael Grenfell, Executive Director of Enforcement at the CMA, said:
Full details of the undertakings are available on the CMA’s website.
Notes to Editors