Recently, Microsoft made the decision to alter the way that its gaming subscription services work, so that any long-term inactive customer isn't continually billed for services they aren't using.
The change to the system came about after an investigation by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) found that the auto-renewal practices was still billing users that hadn't used a service in a long time, Today, Microsoft's services have clear guidelines on how to cancel payments, the pricing of each service, and also fall backs that come into effect after a long period of inactivity.
Even though Microsoft is ahead of the curve here, Sony and Nintendo has revealed that they will also be updating their subscription guidelines going forward to also protect consumers.
As Gamesindustry.biz reports, for Sony this includes reminding long-term inactive users of how to cancel payments, and likewise also stepping in and cancelling the payment themselves if this effort doesn't drive any change.
Nintendo on the other hand will be changing Nintendo Switch Online so that it doesn't come with auto-renewal as the default option. You have to turn that on yourself now.
Speaking about the announcements, the CMA's executive director of enforcement, Michael Grenfell has said to Gamesindustry.biz, "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. Today's announcement therefore concludes our investigations into the online video gaming sector."