Dutch Watchdog Upholds Complaint Against Rush Royale Developer Over In-Game Monetization

A Dutch advertising authority has ruled against My.Games, the developer of Rush Royale: Tower Defense TD, for how it presents in-game purchases—particularly in ways that may mislead younger players.

The Stichting Reclame Code (SRC), or Dutch Advertising Code Foundation, partially upheld a complaint filed by video game law expert Leon Y. Xiao, who brought the case on behalf of a child. The decision reinforces growing calls for greater transparency in mobile gaming, especially for titles accessible to children.

What Violations Were Found?

The SRC identified multiple issues with how Rush Royale handled its monetization and advertising, including:

• Lack of Loot Box Disclosure: The Apple App Store listing failed to inform users that the game includes loot boxes—digital containers with randomized rewards.

• Opaque Odds: The game didn’t clearly disclose the chances of winning specific items from loot boxes.

• No Real Money Pricing: In-game items were only priced in the virtual currency "Crystals," with no clear indication of their cost in euros.

• Misleading Wording: The use of phrases like “collect it” for paid items could confuse young players into thinking these items are free.

• Advertising Disclosure Lapses: The presence of ads in the game wasn’t clearly marked.

• Problematic Referral System: The game’s friend-invite reward feature was deemed to encourage children to act as advertisers, breaching rules around advertising to minors.

These violations contravene both the Dutch Advertising Code and the Children and Youth Advertising Code, which set stricter standards for marketing to younger audiences.

Why This Case Matters

According to Xiao, this ruling shines a light on inconsistent enforcement of consumer protection laws in the video game industry across Europe. His research revealed that 98% of the top 50 iPhone games failed to meet the legal requirement of showing real-money prices in euros.

“The ‘real’ regulators of many countries should recognize the efforts of advertising self-regulators and pursue more robust enforcement actions, such as criminal prosecution,” Xiao said.

How My.Games Responded

In a statement to GamesIndustry.biz, My.Games said it has been working with the SRC to implement the necessary changes: “Most of the concerns raised have already been addressed in the game, and we are continuing to work on implementing the remaining adjustments.”

Key actions taken by the company include:

• Removing the misleading “collect it” label from paid items.

• Updating the Apple App Store listing to disclose the presence of loot boxes, as already done in the Google Play Store.

Takeaways for the Mobile Gaming Industry

This ruling sets important precedents for mobile game developers operating in the Netherlands—and potentially beyond:

• Loot boxes must be disclosed upfront, even before download.

• Odds for random rewards must be transparent.

• Prices in virtual currencies must be accompanied by real-world equivalents.

• Language used in games targeting children must avoid confusion around paid content.

• Referral and ad systems must be designed carefully when minors are involved.

As mobile gaming continues to grow, expect more regulatory attention on how games present their monetization features, especially for younger players.

Sources: Official ruling, Gameindustry.biz