Europe vs. free games: Commission investigates apps.

• Author: Suderman, Peter
• Position: Citings - Brief article

SCROLL THROUGH the list of most popular games in the iTunes store, and you'll notice that many are priced at the reasonable level of "free." Many of these games work on what's been labeled the "free to play" model, in which players can download the core game at no charge, but must pay for upgrades and expansions.

In Europe, about 50 percent of mobile games on the market advertise themselves as free. But for tech regulators at the European Commission (E.C.) the low, low price of free is a cause for concern. In a February press release, the commission announced that it would investigate the scourge of free games out of worry that consumers might not understand that some parts of the games require payment.

Why the anxiety over games that players can try at no cost? The E.C...