politics
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...
Microsoft buyout faces pushback from the UK as Google and Nvidia express concerns about the deal to the FTC
The billion-dollar buyout of Activision-Blizzard from Microsoft was likely never going to be a smooth transaction, but we suspect all parties involved weren't expecting...
US Senator calls out Steam’s lax moderation of neo-Nazis and hate
The fact that Steam is extremely hands-off in regard to moderation isn't really news. Readers will recall it was referenced in a video report...
FTC orders Epic Games to pay $520M for privacy violations and deceptive ‘dark patterns’ in Fortnite
Epic Games has just received a walloping from the US Federal Trade Commission in the form of two massive payout settlements for violating the...
Members of US Congress send letters to game companies about combating extremism in online gaming
According to a December report from the Anti-Defamation League, extremism in online gaming is on the rise for the fourth year in a row....
Australian lawmaker proposes bill that would classify games with lockboxes for adults only
There is at least one lawmaker in Australia who feels very strongly about the matter of gaming lockboxes, apparently. Andrew Wilkie, an independent member...
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...
Epic Games joins hands with beauty brand and activists to expand representation in video games
There's a new initiative being spearheaded by the beauty and skin care brand Dove called Real Virtual Beauty, which seeks to launch "a series...
Singapore creates a government body to regulate lootboxes, citing a blurred line between gambling and gaming
The government of Singapore is becoming another country that's less friendly to the monetization practice of lootboxes thanks to the formation of a new...
Indonesian government blocks access to Steam and EGS for failure to meet a database registration deadline
The government of Indonesia is drawing attention and ire after it implemented new regulation for internet services and digital games storefronts that have resulted...
UK government will ‘consider legislation’ unless game companies add parental controls to lootboxes
The UK's Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS) has seen enough evidence related to the harm that lootboxes have on children and...
Destiny 2 celebrates summer as Bungie addresses healthcare, racial justice, and its acquisition by Sony
We're deep into the summertime here in the northern hemisphere, and Destiny 2 is preparing to mark the season by bringing back its Solstice...
GDC joins the chorus of game studios and publishers supporting access to reproductive healthcare
Whether it's major studios speaking up or indie devs creating a charity bundle, the subject of supporting reproductive healthcare rights and bodily autonomy in...
These are the online gaming companies supporting reproductive choice and healthcare for workers
When news of the impending overturn of Roe v. Wade in the United first leaked in early May, so few games companies spoke up...
US Senator Ted Cruz and Asmongold could have a meeting over gaming microtransaction legislation
It's said that politics makes for strange bedfellows, and there appears to be no better illustration of that axiom than the potential meeting between...
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...
Ubisoft offers charitable and medical support for female and LGBTQ+ team members in the US
After what could be seen as a delayed reaction to the events of the world, the C-suite of Ubisoft has decided now is 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...
18 European countries back a Norwegian government body’s assertion that lootboxes are ‘manipulative’
Clearly, pushback against the lootbox monetization model is not going away, a fact that is once more being brought to light thanks to a...
Belgium and Netherlands reject Diablo Immortal over lockbox gambling concerns
This week's "global launch" of Diablo Immortal already wasn't going to be that global considering that several southeast Asia countries will have to wait...
