Updated Mar 17, 2026 by Video Games Europe
The European video-games sector, valued at €26.8 billion and supporting 116,000 jobs, faces declining global competitiveness due to overlapping and burdensome EU digital regulations.
OECD research indicates that full data localisation policies could reduce global GDP by 4.5% and decrease exports by 8.5%, highlighting the economic risks of fragmented digital rules.
The industry is advocating for a 'Digital Omnibus' to streamline compliance, specifically requesting a grace period for the Data Act to account for long console development cycles.
Regulatory reforms should include harmonizing GDPR enforcement across EU Member States and implementing measures to curb abusive data-subject requests.
The Cyber Resilience Act requires more precise definitions of 'substantial modification' and practical guidance regarding CE marking for software distributed through app stores.
The ePrivacy framework must be modernized while ensuring game providers retain the ability to process communications for essential safety, anti-harassment, and anti-cheating measures.
The AI Act should be applied with proportionality, acknowledging that the vast majority of video-game applications present low risk to consumers.
The European video-games sector, valued at €26.8 billion and supporting 116,000 jobs, faces declining global competitiveness due to overlapping and burdensome EU digital regulations.
OECD research indicates that full data localisation policies could reduce global GDP by 4.5% and decrease exports by 8.5%, highlighting the economic risks of fragmented digital rules.
The industry is advocating for a 'Digital Omnibus' to streamline compliance, specifically requesting a grace period for the Data Act to account for long console development cycles.
Regulatory reforms should include harmonizing GDPR enforcement across EU Member States and implementing measures to curb abusive data-subject requests.
The Cyber Resilience Act requires more precise definitions of 'substantial modification' and practical guidance regarding CE marking for software distributed through app stores.
The ePrivacy framework must be modernized while ensuring game providers retain the ability to process communications for essential safety, anti-harassment, and anti-cheating measures.
The AI Act should be applied with proportionality, acknowledging that the vast majority of video-game applications present low risk to consumers.