The EU Wants to Fix Mobile Games, but Developers Warn They Might Just Break the Industry Instead

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Written By NLM Team

Finally, someone is trying to stop games from treating my wallet like an infinite resource node, but developers say it might kill the industry.

The European Commission is moving ahead with something called the Digital Fairness Act (DFA). It sounds boring, but it’s actually a nuclear bomb aimed directly at the "free-to-play" economy we have all learned to tolerate (and hate).

The goal? To stop "unethical techniques" and "addictive design."

Specifically, they want to force games to display real-world currency prices next to virtual ones. No more "1000 Gems." It has to say "€9.99." They also want to crack down on loot boxes and "pay-to-win" mechanics.

As a gamer who is tired of doing mental math to figure out how much a skin actually costs, this sounds like paradise. As a developer? It sounds like the apocalypse.

The Devs Are Not Amused

According to a great interview by EU Perspectives, the European Games Developer Federation (EGDF) is freaking out.

Jari-Pekka Kaleva, the Managing Director of EGDF, argues that treating in-game gold like Bitcoin is a mistake. He claims it would "ruin the gameplay experience" with constant pop-ups and approval requests every time you buy a potion.

He also dropped the classic "think of the children" defense, arguing that parents like giving their kids an allowance of fake currency so they don't have to approve every single transaction.

The "Separate Version" Threat

Here is the real threat: Kaleva warns that if these rules pass, developers might have to make a completely separate version of their games just for Europe.

If the EU market becomes too annoying to design for, global studios might just skip it or give us a watered-down version. It’s the same argument Apple uses every time the EU forces them to use USB-C. " innovation!" they cry, while clutching their proprietary lightning cables.

Why I’m Siding With Brussels

Look, I get it. Making games is hard. But let’s be real: the "premium currency" model exists for one reason. It exists to obfuscate value.

It exists so you spend $20 on a bundle of 2,400 coins when the skin costs 1,800, leaving you with 600 useless coins that tempt you to spend more. It is a psychological trick, plain and simple.

If the "gameplay experience" is ruined because I know exactly how much money I am spending, then maybe the experience wasn't that good to begin with.

The industry needs a shake-up. If that means developers have to work a little harder to monetize their games without tricking kids, I say bring on the Digital Fairness Act. It’s about damn time.

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NLM Team
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