Competition-law action
A competition regulator or court acted against the company over market power, pricing or exclusive deals.
Competition cases are about markets more than players, but a company found to have abused its position has more say over what you pay.
What it means
A competition (antitrust) regulator or a court has acted against the company: for abusing a dominant position, fixing prices, blocking rivals, or locking players and developers into its store. It matters to players because it shapes prices, fees and where games can be bought.
How we apply it
We add it for a fine, order, judgment or settlement against the company under competition law. Cases the company brings against others go on the track record as events, not as a badge, and so do investigations that are still open.
Companies in the guide with it
- Bandai Namco Entertainment
European Commission fined Bandai Namco €340,000 in January 2021 for geo-blocking PC games; the company acknowledged the infringement and received a 10% reduction for cooperating.
Developer and publisher · Japan · 2 games in the guide - DeNA
Japan Fair Trade Commission, 2011: cease-and-desist order for pressuring game makers not to supply rival platform GREE.
Developer and publisher · Japan · 1 game in the guide - Electronic Arts
Pecover v. Electronic Arts: EA paid $27 million under an antitrust class-action settlement over exclusive football licences, approved in May 2013.
Developer and publisher · United States · 5 games in the guide - Microsoft Gaming (Xbox)
UK CMA, April 2023: found the Activision Blizzard deal would harm cloud-gaming competition and blocked it; cleared a restructured deal in October 2023.
Developer and publisher · United States · 0 games in the guide - Nintendo
European Commission, October 2002: fined Nintendo €149 million for colluding with distributors to block cheaper cross-border sales (1991 to 1998); reduced to €119.2 million by the EU Court of First Instance in April 2009.
Developer and publisher · Japan · 9 games in the guide - Tencent
China's market regulator (SAMR), July 2021: blocked the Tencent-backed Huya–DouYu merger and ordered Tencent to give up exclusive music licensing rights (fined 500,000 yuan); January and July 2022: fined it for failing to report 21 deals in advance.
Developer and publisher · China · 0 games in the guide - Valve
European Commission fined Valve €1,624,000 in January 2021 for geo-blocking PC games; the EU General Court upheld the decision in 2023.
Developer and publisher · United States · 3 games in the guide