Nintendo and Sony update their subscription policies in light of CMA
As a company, Nintendo are nothing if not litigious. Fans of their games have learned this the hard way in recent years, as a number of lovingly crafted projects and tributes have been DMCA’d as the big N threaten to pull the sue trigger, bringing many offline entirely. A Mario fan animation? We’ll ‘ave that. A spiritual Link to the Past sequel? That’s ours, mate. You dare attempt to fix the Metroid franchise? Must be having a laugh. Not dissimilarly, their contemporary in the console world, Sony, have a long history of legal entanglements.
Be it their online network being cripplingly compromised, leaking hundreds upon hundreds of consumer profiles to hackers; or accusations of unlawful monopoly being levelled at its PSN store; the PlayStation masters are no stranger to navigating the minefield. Hence, it follows that both companies would want to toe the line most cautiously in matters like, say, a complete revamp of policy following an investigation into auto-renewal practices by the Competition and Markets Authority. No big deal.
Making the Switch
Yep, as GamesIndustry reports, “both Sony and Nintendo have agreed to update guidelines pertaining to their respective online subscription services” after the CMA announced earlier this year that auto-renewal systems in place across numerous digital platforms may be in violation of consumer rights. Basically, auto-renewal refers to a setup whereby your subscription can be, as the name indicates, automatically renewed without any input from yourself – irrespective of whether this was a conscious decision on your part. This can lead to situations where you forget you left that little box ticked when you first sold your soul (read: signed up) and a whole new year’s worth of subscription fees are viciously siphoned from your bank account before you can stop ’em. Horrifying. As a result, Sony and Ninty are making it so that, even though the auto-renewal option remains available, it must be voluntarily activated in a menu.
“Sony has agreed to implement new measures for PS Plus subscribers,” the reports goes on, “which includes contacting long-term customers that haven’t used the service for a while to remind them how to cancel subscriptions. If users don’t cancel the service but aren’t actively using it, Sony will stop taking payments.” Coupled with Nintendo’s alterations, the heavy hitters follow in the footsteps of Microsoft, who adapted to the CMA’s rulings back in January, changing the way they communicate with consumers about the (surprisingly generous) Game Pass scheme.
The CMA speaks out
Curious about what the CMA actually had to say about this contentious issue? “As a result of our investigations, a number of changes have been made across this sector to protect customers and help tackle concerns about auto-renewing subscriptions,” declared Michael Grenfell, executive director of enforcement. “Today’s announcement therefore concludes our investigations into the online video gaming sector. Companies in other sectors which offer subscriptions that auto-renew should review their practices to ensure they comply with consumer protection law.”
Are you a punter of either Nintendo or Sony’s online services? What are your thoughts on this? Have you ever succumbed to the pitfall of auto-renewal? Let us know!
Via, GamesIndustry.
