Legal

Build a Rocket Boy is announcing additional layoffs, attributing the decision to the gaming industry's "challenging period" and incidents of "corporate sabotage"

Tripwire Interactive, a subsidiary of the Embracer Group holding company, announced mass layoffs within its ranks. A total of 23 people were affected by the layoffs.

The White House has once again turned its attention to investments by the Chinese giant Tencent in U.S. gaming companies, reports the Financial Times, citing sources. According to the newspaper, American authorities fear that such deals could potentially pose a threat to the country’s national security.

According to the Financial Times, the White House has once again turned its attention to Chinese giant Tencent's investments in U.S. gaming companies, citing sources. The newspaper reports that U.S. authorities are concerned that such deals could potentially pose a threat to the country's national security

Now Battlestate Games has to pay a fine of 2 million rubles

Tripwire Interactive, the developer known for the Killing Floor series, has implemented layoffs, impacting 23 employees.

Following Paramount Skydance's decision to raise its all-cash bid to $31 per share, Netflix has pulled back its proposal to acquire Warner Bros Discovery.

New York Attorney General Letitia James has initiated legal action against Valve, claiming that the loot boxes in Counter-Strike 2, Team Fortress 2, and Dota 2 illegally promote gambling to minors.

The company came under fire for supporting loot boxes and the ability to sell virtual items.

Amazon Game Studios has terminated its publishing partnership with Maverick Games, citing a strategic shift to concentrate on projects that capitalize on Amazon's distinct capabilities and extensive reach

Roblox has expressed strong disagreement with allegations that it is neglecting the safety of children. This follows a lawsuit filed by officials in Los Angeles against the online platform, accusing it of "failing to protect children from predatory behavior."

The UK Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has prohibited an advertisement for Call of Duty: Black Ops 7, citing concerns that it trivializes sexual violence

Each country defines differently when you become "one of their own" for the purposes of its budget, and these rules don't always boil down to simply counting calendar days. Experts from Futura Digital partner Aleksandra Kurdyumova and lawyer Nazar Volkov provided insights specifically for App2Top on the specific approaches in Russia, Kazakhstan, the UAE, and Cyprus

The Chinese studio miHoYo, known for Genshin Impact, Honkai: Star Rail, and Zenless Zone Zero, announced that four of its former employees have been imprisoned. They were found guilty of abusing their official positions and accepting bribes.

All for the protection of the mental health of French children and teenagers

The existence of the ban was revealed by Goichi Suda, the CEO of Grasshopper Manufacture, in an interview with Eurogamer. He knows about this firsthand, as his studio is part of NetEase

In this interview, we conclude our review of the year 2025 along with top managers and experts from the gaming industry (and related fields). The final piece is a conversation with Artem Khandriko, an associate partner and head of IT/IP practice at REVERA.

Austria's Supreme Court has determined that the loot boxes in FIFA games do not qualify as gambling since they involve a degree of skill.

In-game currency can still be classified as property.

The Competition Appeal Tribunal in London has decided to forward a lawsuit against Valve to court. The company is accused of “profiteering off British gamers” through Steam.

The Competition Appeal Tribunal in London has decided to forward a lawsuit against Valve to court. The company is accused of "profiteering off British gamers" through Steam.

Valve, the major player in the PC gaming industry, is facing a £656 million lawsuit in the UK. The legal action alleges that the revenue share taken by its Steam platform is excessively high and adversely affects consumers.

The European Union's iteration of the Stop Killing Games petition garnered 1.3 million signatures.

At the end of 2025, Steppe Rider, a runner game in the style of Subway Surfers designed to teach the basics of the Kazakh language, was released on PC and mobile devices. The funding for its development was provided by the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of Kazakhstan. However, it was recently revealed that the authorities initially requested a much more ambitious game for these purposes

The UK National Video Game Council, comprising representatives from various gaming companies, is dissatisfied with the level of government support in the United Kingdom. In their opinion, the government pays very little attention to the game development sector.

The National Video Game Council of the UK, which includes representatives from various gaming companies, is dissatisfied with the level of government support in the British Isles. In their view, the country's government pays very little attention to the game development industry.

Marc-Alexis Côté, a former lead for the Assassin's Creed franchise, has initiated legal action against Ubisoft, seeking CAD $1.3 million due to claims of "constructive dismissal"

The Italian Competition Authority, known as Autorità Garante della Concorrenza e del Mercato (AGCM), has initiated an inquiry into Activision Blizzard. The focus of the investigation is on the company's monetization practices in Diablo Immortal and Call of Duty Mobile.

Following a preliminary hearing at a UK employment tribunal, some evidence presented by Rockstar supporting the dismissal of 34 employees for severe misconduct has come to light

Bobby Kotick, the former CEO of Activision Blizzard, has alleged that a lawsuit initiated by a Swedish pension fund was intended to aid Embracer in establishing a presence in the California market to the detriment of Activision.

The Glasgow Employment Tribunal has turned down a request for interim relief submitted on behalf of employees dismissed by Rockstar

They asked to be reinstated at work during the court proceedings

The announcement of the sequel to the visual novel "Endless Summer" sparked a storm of debate: gamers suspected that the developers used neural networks at least in the creation of promotional materials. Here's what happened.

A few days following Warner Bros. Discovery's (WBD) board of directors' repeated dismissal of Paramount Skydance's revised tender offer, Paramount has initiated legal action against WBD, requesting the court to disclose the details of Netflix's proposal.

CWA Canada has announced its intention to "pursue every legal recourse" to protect the workforce that recently unionized at Ubisoft Halifax, which is slated for closure.

We continue to review the results of 2025 together with top managers and experts from the gaming industry (and related sectors). Next up is a conversation with Natalya Yurkova, managing partner at i-Legal, Maria Ordovskaya-Tanaevskaya, the CEO of the company, and Alina Tankova, the head of digital law and TMT practice.

In September, Mexico's Ministry of Finance proposed introducing an 8% tax on games with "violent" content. Three months later, this idea was abandoned

The Public Chamber of the Russian Federation's Commission on Volunteerism and Youth Policy conducted a survey among Russians on the topic of video games. It shared the preliminary results of the study during a discussion held on December 25

In South Korea, the so-called loot box law has been in effect for over a year. It requires developers to disclose the odds of obtaining valuable in-game items from loot boxes. Recently, a group of Korean lawmakers prepared a draft of amendments to toughen the penalties for violating this law

Shareholders of American publishing powerhouse Electronic Arts have approved the company's purchase by a consortium that comprises the Saudi Arabia Public Investment Fund.

Japanese conglomerate Sony and China's technology and entertainment company Tencent have resolved their legal conflict concerning the alleged resemblances between Sony's Horizon series and Tencent's Light of Motiram.

Nintendo has successfully concluded a 15-year legal battle against a third-party seller of Wii controllers, resulting in an award of $8.2 million (€7 million) in damages, interest, and legal expenses.

A court case brought by former Bungie director Chris Barratt against both his previous employer and Sony has been dismissed.

In keeping with a good tradition, as January approaches, we review the past year along with representatives from gaming and related companies. Next up is a conversation with Roman Lukyanov, managing partner of the law firm Semenov & Pevzner

Apple has gained a minor victory in an appeal related to the lawsuit filed by Epic Games.

The Independent Workers' Union of Great Britain (IWGB) has addressed Rockstar's reasoning behind terminating more than 30 employees in October

The issue of the dismissal of several dozen employees from Rockstar Games was raised at the latest session of the British Parliament.

The issue of the dismissal of several dozen employees from Rockstar Games was brought up at the last session of the British Parliament

The fine was issued for violating the CCPA, California's data privacy protection law.

Aspyr has disclosed that it failed to release the promised Restored Content DLC for the Nintendo Switch edition of Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic 2. This was due to an inability to furnish Disney with a comprehensive list of the modders' legal names.