European Consumer Centre on the Lack of Quality Standards for Exalted Skins

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The Spirit Blossom Morgana skin, released by Riot Games on June 25th, 2025, is part of the developer's new "Exalted" skin tier, marketed as ultra-premium digital content for the game League of Legends. The skin costs approximately 250€ and is acquired via a randomized loot-box system. However, serious concerns have been raised regarding whether the product meets the quality and feature standards Riot Games has advertised, prompting a formal complaint to the European Commission and subsequent actions involving the European Consumer Centre (ECC) Austria.

This case has become a notable example in the broader discussion on digital goods, misleading advertising, loot-box monetization, and whether premium cosmetic content is subject to EU consumer protection laws.

Background

Exalted skins are advertised by Riot Games as “hyper-exclusive,” featuring multiple transformation forms, unique visual/audio effects and high-level polish. However, players have documented substantial feature omissions and inconsistencies in Spirit Blossom Morgana when compared to previous Exalted-tier skins (e.g., Arcane Fractured Jinx). Reported issues include:

• Absence of multiple form models (color variants only) (referenced comparison)
• Missing custom voice lines and animation sets (referenced comparison)
• Bugged or recycled animations
• Non-functional “mask” mechanics
• Lack of clear preview or product documentation
• Poor quality control and missing advertised features

According to the complaint, this amounts to potential misleading advertising, product inconsistency and a failure to meet reasonable consumer expectations under EU law.

Incident

On June 12th, 2025 (according to the timestamp of the initial complaint e-mail), a consumer from Austria filed a formal complaint with the European Commission alleging that Riot Games may have violated Directive (EU) 2019/770, which governs the supply of digital content and services in the EU. The complaint centered around the release and marketing of the “Spirit Blossom Morgana” skin, part of Riot's high-end "Exalted" cosmetic tier for League of Legends. The skin was obtainable only through a randomized loot system, requiring an estimated 250€ to unlock.

The consumer argued that the product was materially inconsistent with both Riot’s advertised claims and the quality standards set by previous “Exalted” skins. Specific complaints included missing features (e.g., transformation forms, animations, and voice lines), lack of polish, unresolved bugs, and promotional materials that may have misled consumers about the content’s depth and features.

The European Commission acknowledged receipt of the complaint (English translation) and redirected the case to the European Consumer Centre (ECC) Austria, as the consumer was based in Austria and the company’s European headquarters is located in Ireland. On July 28th, 2025, ECC Austria confirmed jurisdiction and formally registered the case under reference number ECCAT-60405.

In their official response dated August 20th, 2025, ECC Austria acknowledged the seriousness of the matter and outlined three potential legal and regulatory avenues for further action:

1. Partial Refund via ECC Ireland ECC Austria offered to forward the case to ECC Ireland for intervention on the consumer’s behalf. Citing EU warranty laws applicable to digital content, they noted that a price reduction could be requested due to the product's alleged non-conformity.
2. Referral to Legal Department (Competition Law) ECC Austria also noted the option to escalate the matter to the legal team of the Verein für Konsumenteninformation (Association for Consumer Information), which could investigate whether Riot’s practices violate EU or national competition laws. However, they warned that limited resources may affect the likelihood of this route being pursued.
3. Escalation via CPC Mechanism If multiple consumers across the EU raise similar concerns, the case could be escalated through the Consumer Protection Cooperation (CPC) network. This mechanism would allow Austrian authorities to coordinate with their Irish counterparts to address the issue more formally at a regulatory level. ECC Austria encouraged the complainant to identify others affected by the same issues to trigger this pathway.

The consumer chose the third action for the following reason:

"[...] I’ve already replied to them, asking specifically about the third option they mentioned and how many complaints would be needed for that path to be pursued. When I get an answer, I’ll update you — but as before, this may take some time.

I want to emphasize again: This is not a malicious attack on Riot Games. I’m simply a long-time customer growing increasingly concerned about Riot’s direction, their failure to follow and uphold their own standards, their disregard for their official statements and their inconsistency with premium, high-end products like Exalted skins. Expecting players to accept this without question or consequence isn’t right and a company, especially one of Riot's scale, isn't exempt from following rules and laws - including those regarding digital content - and should be held accountable.

Ultimately, my goal isn’t about money — I’d rather see Riot fix, adjust, polish and overhaul Spirit Blossom Morgana, bring the product up to true Exalted quality, and let everyone enjoy it for what it’s sold as. [...]"

~u/LoveForNuWa

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