Blog/Videos

Video Games Articles

video games lawyer
Video Game News: Sony Gaming Revenue Dropped in Q4 2019, but the Outlook Is Bright
 1000 648 David Hoppe
By:
0

In its latest financial report, Sony revealed that Q4 2019 revenue for its Game and Network Services segment declined 20% year-on-year to $5.7 billion. Operating income for the segment also fell sharply, down 26% to $484 million. The drop was attributed to the age of the PS4, on the market for its seventh holiday season,…

video games lawyer
Games News: Tencent Bids $148 Million to Acquire Conan Exiles Developer Funcom
 1000 648 David Hoppe
By:
0

Chinese gaming behemoth Tencent has placed a bid to acquire the entirety of Funcom in potential deal that would value the Norwegian game developer at $148 million, 27% higher than the shares were worth just before the announcement of the offer. Funcom is best known for its hit online survival game Conan Exiles, a game…

video games lawyer
Video Game News: Kagawa Prefecture Plans to Limit Video Game and Smartphone Usage by Minors
 1000 648 David Hoppe
By:
0

The Japanese prefecture of Kagawa is considering implementing time limits and curfews to combat video game addiction and curb smartphone use in the region. While residents will still provide input on the proposed ordinance before it is approved, Kagawa’s prefectural assembly drafted legislation to limit the gaming time of minors to one hour on weekdays. On…

video games lawyer
Loot Boxes – The Western Take on Gacha
 1000 648 David Hoppe
By:
0

The Japanese word gashapon (often shortened as gacha, with the unfortunate suggestion of “gotcha” in English) refers to a series of capsule toys that are dispensed from small vending machines. Although these machines can be seen all over the world, mostly providing cheap children’s toys or candy, authentic Japanese gashapon cost more and offer higher-quality…

video games lawyer
How Can Criminals Use Online Gaming To Launder Money?
 1000 648 David Hoppe
By:
0

For those uninitiated into the world of real-money online gaming, the activity has a long and drawn-out history in U.S. politics. Federal egislation was first drafted against the act of gambling online all the way back in the late 1990s, and the proposed law has been widely debated in the years since. As it stands…

video games lawyer
New Valve Refund Policy: EU Consumer-Protection Regulation Goes Global?
 1000 648 David Hoppe
By:
0

The history of videogames is not only that of the development of games themselves, but also of the hardware on which games are intended to run. Arcade and console gaming system provide video games developers with standardized, closed-world hardware, enabling them to have a great degree of control over their customers’ experience. Such is not…

video games lawyer
2015: The Year We Get Loading Screen Mini-Games Back
 1000 648 David Hoppe
By:
0

Onechanbara, it is safe to say, is not a fondly remembered game. Released on Xbox 360 in early 2009 (late 2006 in Japan) by D3 Publisher Inc., Onechanbara was an action game in the Dynasty Warriors mold, wherein bikini-clad women cut down hordes of zombies with katana swords.

video games lawyer
How Is Steam Like Apple and the UFC?
 1000 648 David Hoppe
By:
0

Well, it’s official: Apple did not abuse its monopoly position from 2006-2009.  Fresh off a stalemate with Samsung, Apple found itself back in court this fall.  For those who didn’t follow the blow-by-blow, the tale of the tape looked like this: Apple was being accused of anti-competitive practices during its mid-2000s stranglehold of the digital…

video games lawyer
The Good Game Club and The Independent Spirit
 1000 648 David Hoppe
By:
0

Despite the coming arrival of the next gen juggernauts, the Playstation 4 and XBox One, the independent spirit is more alive than ever in gaming. Independent game development — once the renegade world of the PC universe — is now a more accessible environment due to the developments of crowd funding, mobile platforms, and social…