Between the Stop Destroying Videogames movement and Apple losing an antitrust case in the UK, major game publishers are facing some serious scrutiny from regulators. As reported by GamesIndustryBiz, the European Union has now dropped two major pieces of cybersecurity legislation that can impact how games are built, maintained, and even patched.
Understanding The New EU Rules
The NIS2 Directive and the Cyber Resilience Act (CRA) are put in place to safeguard consumers buying any software products that might introduce cyber incidents and threats. They are designed to make digital products safer, tougher to hack, and more responsibly managed. Neither of these rules is gaming-specific, but they very much affect game developers, studios, platform holders, and even companies that run servers for games.
NIS2 is all about protecting digital services and ensuring companies take security seriously. While games are not “essential services,” many games use cloud servers, content delivery networks (updates, patches, DLC), and online infrastructure that are covered by NIS2. This means many will need to comply, whether they like it or not.
Here’s what that means for developers and publishers:
- Report major security incidents within 24 hours
- Train management on cybersecurity, not just the IT team.
- Show proper plans for risk management, recovery, and data protection.
The most important aspect is the fact that senior management will now be responsible for security measures. This responsibility must be handled internally, and breaches will incur fines or possible restriction from management roles. As for the CRA, it focuses more on the products themselves. For the games industry, this will include game software, games that connect to hardware (VR, consoles, peripherals), or anything with digital elements.
Under the CRA, developers will need to build security into the game from day one. They’ll need to address vulnerabilities quickly and report serious security flaws to the EU once discovered.
What This Means For Sports Gamers
So, what do these acts mean for players? Well, they might help prevent cheating tools, hacked lobbies, stolen FUT coins, or even massive leaks (like the Rockstar GTA 6 breach). These won’t be just game issues anymore; they might become potential legal and regulatory problems.
All this can potentially lead to better player data protection, safer live service games, and faster responses when things go wrong. The way games launch, how long updates take, and how studios handle bugs could all be different in a few years.
