Legal

SAG-AFTRA has launched a video game agreement that permits creators to involve professional actors at the pre-funding pitch stage of development.

Emotions continue to run high around the closure of BioWare. Now, Canadian gamers have started gathering signatures for a petition to the country's House of Commons, demanding that the studio not be destroyed

The Bankruptcy Court in Delaware has restricted transfers from the American accounts of Papaya Gaming. The decision comes amid its legal dispute with FIRY (formerly known as Skillz), to which Papaya Gaming owes approximately $730 million.

The UK Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has prohibited mobile advertisements from developers including King and Scopely for allegedly misleading consumers by showcasing gameplay that does not accurately represent the actual game experience

The mobile strategy game Hustle Castle is celebrating its ninth anniversary, having been released in 2017. To mark the occasion, MY.GAMES has unveiled some new statistics about the game

Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney has once again taken aim at Valve. This time, he claimed that the creators of Steam have been holding back the development of the entire gaming industry for many years.

BioWare co-founder Greg Zeschuk believes that the change in ownership of Electronic Arts ultimately determined the studio's fate. In his opinion, EA's new investors are primarily interested in commercially predictable projects, whereas the development of large-scale role-playing games, for which BioWare is renowned, demands too much time and resources

The Video Game Industry Development Organization (VGIDO) has prepared a draft memorandum that could form the basis for future video game legislation in Russia. Among the proposals are restrictions on in-game purchases by minors, extrajudicial blocking of websites with cheats, and the creation of a mechanism for resolving disputes between players and companies.

Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney has once again criticized Steam's requirements to disclose information about the use of generative AI in games. In his view, such a practice could negatively impact the sales of their projects.

Netflix is said to have proposed a $500 million deal to Microsoft to acquire a seven-year licensing agreement for Xbox intellectual property to create film and television adaptations.

Netflix attempted to acquire exclusive rights for film and television adaptations of Xbox gaming franchises. According to Puck, the streaming service offered Microsoft $500 million for a seven-year license, but Microsoft asked for $800 million. Ultimately, the negotiations did not result in a deal

The Norwegian government has clarified its plans to restrict children's access to social networks. The forthcoming law may now cover not only traditional social networks but also gaming platforms, including Roblox

Following a court ruling that determined Apple had breached competition law, Fortnite is set to reappear on iOS devices in Australia. The decision mandates that Apple must allow third-party app stores on its iOS platform.

The European rating organization PEGI has begun reviewing the age ratings of previously released digital games that include loot boxes and other random item purchase mechanics. Now, such projects will receive a PEGI 16 rating, even if they were previously marked as PEGI 3, PEGI 7, or PEGI 12.

Digital-only games featuring paid random items, like loot boxes, are being re-evaluated to a PEGI 16 rating if they are presently rated PEGI 3, 7, or 12.

UKIE has collaborated with the law firm Sheridans to introduce an AI Compliance and Accreditation Service. This initiative is designed to help studios within the UK gaming sector utilize AI technologies in a legal and responsible manner.

American Congressman Ritchie Torres is preparing to introduce the Power to the Players Act. Its goal is to protect the rights of gamers and prevent situations where publishers deny access to purchased games

European gambling regulators, in collaboration with Google, are working on creating a list of legal operators in the iGaming sector. This was announced by the head of the Dutch regulatory authority (KSA), Michel Groothuizen.

The Argentine Revenue and Customs Control Agency (ARCA) calculated the amount of indirect taxes from licensed online betting and gambling platforms in the country for the period from January to September 2026, totaling 123.85 billion Argentine pesos (81 million dollars)

The Entertainment Software Association (ESA) wants the U.S. government to include portable retro consoles with pre-installed pirated games in the Notorious Markets List. This is a list of suspicious platforms and markets used to combat counterfeit products.

At the end of September, the European Commission decided to crack down on microtransactions and announced the start of "coordinated actions" against a number of companies that do not comply with guidelines on in-game purchases. Now, as part of the same initiative, the Italian antitrust regulator AGCM has reported the launch of its own investigation

The conflict between Epic Games and Apple has been ongoing for more than six years, having erupted in the summer of 2020. Epic Games believes that the legal proceedings could have taken less time if the Apple corporation hadn't intentionally delayed during certain periods

The KTO Group company appears to have fallen victim to a temporary ban on online betting in Brazil. According to its employees' posts on LinkedIn, the bookmaker has ceased operations

At the end of September, Brazilian authorities temporarily banned online betting in the country. As discovered by the National Association of Games and Lotteries (ANJL), the decision cost many professionals their jobs

Under an agreement signed in December 2025, Sony is set to transfer 419 virtual reality patents worldwide to Meta, which includes 180 patents filed in the United States.

Game designer Richard Garriott announced that in 2027 he will regain control over the Ultima franchise. He won't have to pay anything for this—the rights will be handed over by Electronic Arts (EA) completely free of charge

On September 7, Tiny Eden was released on Steam—a cozy simulator for growing plants “on the windowsill,” quite literally. Irina Borodina, the CMO of Digital Vortex Entertainment, shared how the project was launched in her column for us.

While AppLovin is involved in a lawsuit with Unity, the authorities in San Diego County, USA, have turned against it. The reason for this is the company’s advertising practices.

The Australian government will allocate 1 million Australian dollars (698 thousand US dollars) to support local game developers. The money will be officially invested by the state corporation South Australian Film Corporation (SAFC), which will transfer it to the Digital Games Fund.

While AppLovin is in a legal battle with Unity, the authorities of San Diego County in the USA have taken action against it. The reason for this is the company's advertising practices

The American company DraftKings, specializing in online casinos, betting, and fantasy sports, faced a lawsuit. A U.S. resident, Daniel Vest, filed the suit against them

A California court will not require Unity to temporarily restrict the operation of the Ad Quality SDK tool in AppLovin's products. This request was previously made by AppLovin itself.

A conflict has erupted between AppLovin and Unity

Authorities in the Netherlands have detained a 24-year-old man from Amsterdam as part of a probe into ShinyHunters, the hacking collective identified by the FBI as responsible for a data breach that revealed sensitive GTA Online revenue information earlier this year.

Five years ago, NetEase acquired Grasshopper Manufacture—a studio led by veteran Japanese game developer Goichi Suda, known for games like Lollipop Chainsaw and No More Heroes. Now, it has once again set the team free.

At the end of last week, Brazilian authorities temporarily banned online betting in the country. According to the Bet Legal platform, the ban immediately led to an increase in illegal betting sites — 428 such resources were launched from September 25 to 27

On September 25, the President of Brazil, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, signed a temporary decree banning online betting in the country. The restrictions apply to both sports betting and online casinos.

King has reached a collective agreement with the Swedish trade unions Unionen and Sveriges Ingenjörer following a call for industrial action last week.

Nintendo of America has secured $4.5 million in damages from Reddit user James C. Williams, also known by the alias 'Archbox,' due to copyright infringements.

The Dutch consumer organization Stichting Massaschade & Consument (SMC) has initiated a class action lawsuit against Epic Games, claiming the company has deceived young players of Fortnite.

In the long-standing legal battle between Apple and Epic Games, there is a small yet significant offshoot. It pertains to contempt of court.

Discord has reinstated its age verification system for all users, offering new options that eliminate the need for video selfies or identification cards.

Apple will be required to implement a mandatory age verification system for users who want to make purchases in casino apps from the App Store. This ruling was issued by a Brazilian court as part of the proceedings in the Casino Roulette: Roulettist case

The Irish Bookmakers Association (IBA) has urged the country's government to refrain from raising taxes. According to local media reports, the Irish authorities plan to increase the existing tax on customer bets in 2027, in addition to the previously announced increase in the pool betting tax.

Concerns about banning online games for children under 15 in the European Union have not been confirmed. However, the proposed legislation does include rather strict regulations. We have reviewed the published documents and understood how the EU intends to transform "child protection" from a safety function into a part of product design.

Sweden's trade unions, Unionen and Sveriges Ingenjörer, have announced plans to strike against King following the company's executives' refusal of a proposed collective bargaining agreement last month.

Heart Machine, the developer behind Hyper Light Drifter, faces potential closure following the collapse of a publishing agreement

The lawsuit was filed by a former employee of Activision Blizzard, who worked at the company from 2009 to 2023

Starting October 7, 2026, it will no longer be possible to place content related to online gambling in Google's advertising services intended for residents of Croatia. The corporation announced the upcoming policy update in its blog.

Google Corporation has finally settled a dispute with app developers from the United Kingdom, who sued it over the Google Play monopoly.