2025 felt like a year in which legal stories dominated industry headlines almost as much as games themselves. Patent disputes over game mechanics, (unusually) public disputes over disputed payouts, and hacking of the mobile ecosystem, to name a few.
However, these headlines are not just good stories. The underlying issues could significantly change how games are created, monetized, and played as we know them. Let's look at some of them and how they might develop over the course of the year.
Good news and regulatory risks in the mobile sector
Mobile developers have faced many challenges in recent years, including IDFAjurisdictional repression and increase in UA costs. One bright spot on the horizon, however, is the evolution of the mobile ecosystem, driven in large part by new European competition rules and Epic's lawsuits against Apple and Google.
In April 2025 The European Commission fined Apple 500 million euros for non-compliance with the “anti-steering” provisions of the European Digital Markets Act. These are laws that require developers to be able to inform customers, free of charge, of alternative offers outside of app stores, direct them to those offers, and allow them to make purchases. In October, the UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) stated Both Apple and Google have “strategic market status”, which allows the CMA to consider proportionate and targeted interventions to ensure mobile platforms are open to effective competition (the CMA has yet to take any remedial action). Epic's disputes with Apple and Google are more complex and multifaceted, with varying degrees of success in different cases and some aspects still under appeal.
All of this will have several important implications for developers and players. Third Party App Stores will become more common. This will allow players to access apps that for some reason may not be available in traditional app stores (for example, due to non-compliance with platform rules). This could be particularly attractive to certain parts of the gaming industry, such as web3 and blockchain businesses.
Developers, and in turn players, may see cost savings on in-app purchases (IAPs) thanks to new platform fee structures and the allowance of alternative payment systems. This is especially true if recent settlements with Epic and Google are approved by US courts, which could reduce commission fees on those platforms to 9% or 20% depending on the type of transaction.
We'll also see the continued growth of online stores that facilitate direct-to-consumer transactions, such as players purchasing in-game currency from browser-based stores. They have been around for many years, but their usefulness has increased significantly due to changes due to platform anti-steering restrictions.
However, these new capabilities make compliance more difficult. Many of these changes will likely be region-specific, resulting in a fragmented patchwork of disparate user experiences for players around the world.
Regulating money, time and data
The European Union has brought the video game sector under regulatory control through 2025. BEUC report in September 2024 under the name “Game Over” became the first a real sign of regulatory heat on monetization, which was soon followed by results report on the October 2024 digital fairness test and consumer protection cooperation networks “Basic principles of using in-game virtual currencies” in March 2025.
All these developments pose a threat to the free-to-play games industry, opening the door to Digital Justice Act. Is it possible to massively restrict how games offer virtual currency? Sale to children prohibited? Ban it completely? All of these possibilities are being put forward and discussed right now.
It also raises the question of what might constitute a “transparent” use of personalized data for monetization – be it personalized advertising, ratings, prices or recommendations. This topic is currently largely covered by existing data protection legislation, but the suitability test has opened the door to possible additional transparency and fairness requirements under consumer law.
It's not just monetization under the microscope – there are several The European Parliament reports this. also explore interaction methods that can be used in online interfaces, including games. The phrase “digital addiction” is becoming increasingly common in EU policy circles, asking questions about features most commonly found on social media (such as auto-playing videos) but also those more commonly found in games (such as daily rewards and activity bars).
A digital justice impact assessment is due to be carried out in the second quarter of 2026 with a proposal for a digital justice bill. will appear in the fourth quarter of 2026. It is possible that there will be further engagement with industry and stakeholders later this year, so keep an eye out for updates from your trade bodies and gaming policy groups such as Digital Policy Flux.
Don't think it's just the EU playing in these waters; The Brazilian Ministry of Justice recently updated its Age rating criteria for video games to take into account new parameters, including in-game purchases, payout mechanics and “algorithmic manipulations”. Next year, a committee from the UK Department of Science, Innovation and Technology will also conduct an investigation into addictive use of technology and how it affects children's development.
Everyone thinks about the children
Internet security has taken over headers And Topics on Reddit this year, with several new pieces of legislation passed and many more in the works around the world. While keeping gamers safe and happy has long been a priority for game studios, adjusting and formalizing practices to comply with specific legislation will still be a challenge in 2026.
Most of UK The Internet Safety Act (OSA) went into effect within 2025 after extensive manual from the regulator Ofcom, including even some brief guidance on online games. Although the initial application of OSA focused primarily on pornography And other serious harmSeveral gaming companies are currently working with Ofcom's leadership team, and it is likely that the program will be expanded over the next year.
In accordance with the EU Digital Services Act (DSA), rules for the protection of minors was published in early summer and focused on online safety measures for children (including guidance on parental controls and account setup information), as well as measures to counter other perceived risks to consumers, privacy and security. This included specific restrictions on video games that fell within the scope, such as a ban on the sale loot boxes up to 18 years old. Whether any of these restrictions will carry over into the Digital Fairness Act (since not every video game will be covered by the DSA) remains to be seen.
A number of U.S. state laws regarding age enforcement have begun to emerge, although they are now more focused on app store operators, operating system operators, and pornographic content providers. At the federal level, there is the Children's Online Safety Act (KOSA). returned to the Senate and includes “online video gamesIf the law is enacted as is, KOSA would impose a duty of care on operators to mitigate harm to minors (such as eating disorder content, online harassment, sexual exploitation and financial harm).
And this is just the tip of the iceberg. Game studios working in the multiplayer and/or user-generated content space will need to stay abreast of the changing online security landscape as we approach 2026. Other major countries that already have or will soon have online safety laws include: Australia, Singapore And Brazil.
AI gains gradual, grudging tolerance
Generative AI tools have come a long way in a short period of time. Maybe that's why recent survey found that almost 90% of developers are already using this technology in their game development workflows. Popularity is especially high among AAA studios. Crafton even announced it became AI-First at the end of 2025.
This is despite unresolved legal issues that have delayed implementation until 2024. Are developers committing rights violations when using these tools? Are the results of these tools protected by copyright? How are users and their data kept safe with features like in-game chatbots?
The reality is that developers face the unenviable task of continuing to make games of higher quality, faster and cheaper in a world of rising costs and increased competition. Generative AI is seen as one way to close this circle, even if it carries various legal risks.
However, players, at least those on PC and consoles, are not sold and remain largely critical. Lots of great games like Alters, Arc Raiders And Black Opera 7 all faced negative public backlash. mobile although it tells a different storywhere adoption has accelerated with less resistance. This may be because mobile game players tend to be less interested in how the games are made. Or maybe because unlike SteamMobile storefronts do not require the AI to disclose information, making its presence difficult to detect.
Some studios will no doubt continue to avoid this technology for a combination of legal, ethical and creative reasons. However, for others the question will become less about If they should use the technology, but more about how they control public messaging about disclosing its use.
What should developers do?
In 2026, the legal environment will continue to evolve and the gaming industry will continue to attract more regulatory attention. While legal changes often create challenges for developers, they also present opportunities:
- Be prepared to act and adapt with different partners depending on where the mobile ecosystem is heading: flexibility and speed are key here as legal positions change depending on the jurisdiction.
- Legislators and regulators are more aware of the sector than ever before, and if left alone could result in legislation that is cumbersome and inappropriate for an industry as dynamic and diverse as video games. More than ever, studios need to ensure their voices are heard. to laws and guidelines have been finalized.
- The court of public opinion can be as important as any legal court. Whether you're looking for a whole new online security measure for your game or incorporating generative AI into your creative processes, decisions need to be made with team discipline in mind and considered from all angles.
