regulation
Here’s how the UK gaming industry says it’ll self-regulate lockboxes
Remember a few years ago before NFT scams took over, when politicians realized they could score some press coverage and campaign donations for talking...
The EU is apparently set to approve Microsoft’s Activision-Blizzard buyout after all
When the UK's Competition and Markets Authority put the brakes on Microsoft's acquisition of Activision-Blizzard at the end of April, we saw multiple pundits...
EU Parliament adopts resolution to regulate games industry harms from lockboxes to manipulative design
Call them lockboxes, lootboxes, gambleboxes, or gachapon: The European Parliament has voted overwhelmingly to adopt a resolution "ensuring a safe online environment for online...
UK regulatory body puts out a call for public evidence and opinions on the Microsoft Activision-Blizzard buyout
The ongoing scrutiny of Microsoft's enormous purchase of Activision-Blizzard by the UK's Competition and Markets Authority has entered its next phase. The CMA has...
Activision-Blizzard’s Bobby Kotick downplays regulatory scrutiny, says Microsoft deal is on track for 2023
Skepticism over Microsoft's takeover and buyout of the beleaguered Activision-Blizzard group is mounting across the industry, as multiple of news outlets have pushed stories...
Sony hit with $5.9B UK class action lawsuit alleging PlayStation’s store overcharged people for games
It would appear that consumers of the Sony PlayStation in the UK are feeling ripped off by the console's digital storefront. A £5B class...
Diablo Immortal delays its launch in China, sending NetEase stock into freefall
It would appear that investors of the Chinese games giant NetEase were pinning a lot of hopes on Diablo Immortal's launch to China. The...
US advocacy groups call upon Federal Trade Commission to investigate EA over FIFA lockboxes
Hot on the heels of Norway's call for lootbox oversight, a non-profit org in the US is now trying to drum up support for...
Chinese regulators draft ‘youth mode’ requirement for online games and more
It appears that China's gaming industry still hasn't come close to hitting rock bottom. According to the South China Morning Post, China's Cyberspace Administration...
The FTC will investigate the Microsoft Acti-Blizz buyout, company to skip Q4 conference call
When Microsoft announced that it was buying Activision-Blizzard - that was just two weeks ago, to put time into perspective - we knew the...
Fortnite is closing down in China on November 15
One of the biggest names in battle royale is closing up shop in China in the middle of this month. The Chinese version of...
MMO Business Roundup: China’s crackdown, the COVID bubble, MY.GAMES hires, and the Shatterline leak
Welcome back to another super fun roundup of MMO and MMO-adjacent industry news.
Remember how regulators in China have cracked down on youth gaming in...
China adds new rules against games with ‘effeminate males’ and ‘blurred moral boundaries’
The Chinese government is further putting the screws to game developers in the country according to the details of a new internal memo from...
Regulators in China and the UK turn their eyes toward streaming, gaming currency
China isn't content to bulldoze its own local gaming industry by freezing game approvals, blocking kids from gaming outside of tiny windows, and freaking...
China’s new kid gaming time regulations are already causing industry trainwrecks
At the end of August, we noted that China was following through on its plan to set extreme limits on minors' gaming time -...
Lootbox regulation recommended by Australian parliamentary committee
While words and recommendations can certainly be considered equal to vapor, the fact that Australia's parliament appears poised to make moves against lockbox monetization...
Lawful Neutral: Examining the infamous MMO lockbox, 2020 edition
I have a soft spot for paranormal horror. I love movies about demons, ghosts, hauntings, possessions. There's one particular movie from the early aughts...
China is cracking down on online games and streaming even more with ‘Healthy China 2030’
Even setting aside the Blitzchung fiasco that sent China's video game industry into the spotlight at the tail end of 2019, the western games...
Leaderboard: Does the ESA’s new transparent lockbox policy go far enough?
Last week, just as the FTC's video games monetization abuse investigation got underway, the ESA announced that many of the major and minor games...
Lawful Neutral: Mr. Krabs’ Wacky Bucks and currency in online games
I used to watch Spongebob religiously. I loved the days when I could put on Nickelodeon and have Spongebob on for hours. One of...
