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Sony and Nintendo will follow in the footsteps of Microsoft, putting an end to the billing of unused game subscriptions within the UK.
While Nintendo no longer auto-renews Nintendo Switch Online subscriptions by default, Sony recently reached an agreement with the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) that means it will stop accepting the payments of inactive subscribers. Sony will also reach out to inactive PlayStation Plus customers with instructions on how to cancel their subscription beforehand.
Microsoft announced back in January of this year that it reached an agreement with the CMA that meant unused Xbox Live Gold and Xbox Game Pass subscriptions would stop being billed after one year of inactivity.
“As a result of our investigations, a number of changes have been made across [the gaming] sector to protect customers and help tackle concerns about auto-renewing subscriptions,” said the CMA’s Michael Grenfell.
“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.”
Would you like to see similar practices enforced in other countries? Why or why not?
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