Updated

The European Commission published its proposed Digital Fairness Act, which could change how video games are monetised worldwide. A draft leaked a day earlier and the published version appears the same. Eurogamer reported that the Act would bar paid loot boxes for minors, require paid virtual currencies to be switched off for minors by default unless parents or guardians approve, and require games to let everyone disable paid loot boxes completely and show their odds. Fines could reach six percent of a company's worldwide annual turnover, or up to 2 million euros where turnover is unavailable. The Act is expected to become European law around 2028 or 2029. Eurogamer quoted games industry analyst George Osborn, who said big publishers such as EA, Microsoft's Xbox, Activision Blizzard and PlayStation would be concerned, since removing loot boxes from games built around them is hard. Osborn also suggested that because the EU market is large, companies may apply the rules globally, as with the USB-C charging mandate. Eurogamer also reported that the Act covers subscriptions, requiring them to be easier to cancel and less opaque about prices, and a right to speak to a human in customer service. The Act is much broader than games, but it names video games specifically, citing their growing importance to society.