Updated Mar 17, 2026 by Video Games Europe
The European video game industry, comprising 5,000 studios and 98,000 employees, generated a €23.3 billion turnover in 2021 while serving over 135 million players.
The industry argues against uniform horizontal ecodesign regulations, asserting that the functional and technical diversity of ICT devices like consoles, PCs, and smartphones makes a one-size-fits-all approach impractical.
Existing frameworks, such as the Games Console Voluntary Agreement and the UNEP-facilitated Playing for the Planet Alliance, already address resource efficiency, recyclability, and out-of-warranty repair provisions.
Mandatory standardization of components or material limits could stifle innovation, restrict creative freedom for developers, and negatively impact spill-over benefits in fields like AI and healthcare.
The sector warns that new horizontal rules risk creating legal uncertainty, as durability, labeling, and repair requirements are already governed by the EU Sales of Goods Directive (2021) and the Right-to-Repair proposal.
Sharing repair information must include safeguards for intellectual property and consumer safety, particularly regarding proprietary diagnostic tools and trusted-platform modules.
The European video game industry, comprising 5,000 studios and 98,000 employees, generated a €23.3 billion turnover in 2021 while serving over 135 million players.
The industry argues against uniform horizontal ecodesign regulations, asserting that the functional and technical diversity of ICT devices like consoles, PCs, and smartphones makes a one-size-fits-all approach impractical.
Existing frameworks, such as the Games Console Voluntary Agreement and the UNEP-facilitated Playing for the Planet Alliance, already address resource efficiency, recyclability, and out-of-warranty repair provisions.
Mandatory standardization of components or material limits could stifle innovation, restrict creative freedom for developers, and negatively impact spill-over benefits in fields like AI and healthcare.
The sector warns that new horizontal rules risk creating legal uncertainty, as durability, labeling, and repair requirements are already governed by the EU Sales of Goods Directive (2021) and the Right-to-Repair proposal.
Sharing repair information must include safeguards for intellectual property and consumer safety, particularly regarding proprietary diagnostic tools and trusted-platform modules.