{
  "id": 19488747,
  "title": "What the Digital Fairness Act means for the games industry",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/11/what-the-digital-fairness-act-means-for-the-games-industry",
  "topic": "tech",
  "section": "Tech",
  "published": "2026-11-11T11:29:10.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "GamesIndustry",
    "slug": "gamesindustry",
    "url": "https://www.gamesindustry.biz/what-the-digital-fairness-act-means-for-the-games-industry"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The European Commission has unveiled its proposed Digital Fairness Act, which will significantly affect the games industry, especially concerning virtual currencies. Adopted as a European Union Regulation, this legislation will apply uniformly across all EU member states. It also partly supersedes existing national laws on unfair commercial practices and works alongside the EU KIDS Act.\n\nOne key area impacted is dark patterns in online interfaces, which will be strictly prohibited. The Commission will have the power to expand a blacklist of prohibited practices over time. Another restriction is the targeting of minors based on profiling, which already exists under other laws. Moreover, the personalized pricing based on profiling that could potentially harm minors or vulnerable consumers is also prohibited under Article 13.\n\nThe most critical provisions for game companies relate to paid-for virtual currencies, as outlined in Article 14. Companies are now mandated to display the real-money value of these virtual currencies. For products intended for minors, these currencies must be disabled by default and only activated upon parental or guardian approval. Furthermore, paid-for variable reward systems, also known as loot boxes, must not be offered to minors. Where available to adults, transparency is required, including disclosure of available items and their probabilities, as well as effective tools to disable these systems.\n\nAnother challenging provision is the prohibition on pay-to-progress and pay-to-win mechanisms for minors, covered in Article 16. The interpretation of these concepts is still unclear, leading to questions about whether adult consumers can still purchase items that confer competitive advantages in mixed-age games. Companies must also facilitate disabling features that promote excessive or compulsive use (Article 17), such as automatic content play, uninterrupted consumption, push notifications, and features simulating interpersonal relationships. Lastly, contract fairness measures (Articles 20-22) apply to subscription-based games and services, including free trial conversions, end-of-trial information, and cancellation rights. Non-compliance could lead to fines up to 6% of a company's worldwide annual turnover.",
  "summary": "After it was leaked earlier this week, the European Commission has formally presented its draft for the Digital Fairness Act today. If adopted, the Act will have a massive impact on the games sector, particularly where virtual currencies are involved. Read more",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}