Japanese social games warned off shady freemium schemes

The Japanese Consumer Affairs Agency is cracking down on free to play social games which offer random rewards in return for micro-payments.

The Yomiuri Daily reports the CAA has completed an investigation into "kompu gacha" gaming, and concluded that some such games are in violation of the law.

Kompu gacha model games offer random items in return for payments, rather than letting players choose what they will purchase, and then hand out additional rewards if players manage to complete a full set.

The CAA will release a full report and will pursue legal action against companies who continue to utilise the illegal business model.

The agency launched the investigation after receiving complaints of high costs from users of social networks like Gree and Mobage.

Thanks, Siliconera.