On November 18, the Russian Prosecutor General’s Office declared the activities of GSC Game World undesirable in Russia. The reason was the developers of S.T.A.L.K.E.R supporting the Ukrainian army. We spoke with Irina Gushchina, a senior lawyer at Semenov&Pevzner, about what this recognition means for players, media, and retailers in Russia.

The video gaming market is global, and in the current macroeconomic and geopolitical environment, choosing the right jurisdiction is particularly relevant. With insights from experts at Futura Digital and Prospectacy, we present a detailed guide analyzing the most relevant locations, key aspects, trends, and potential pitfalls.

The main topic in the gaming industry this week is the upcoming Digital Fairness Act (DFA) in the EU. We delved into its key provisions and gathered developers’ reactions. Aiding us in understanding the legal intricacies was Alina Davletshina, Head of the Digital Practice at Futura Digital.

The law firm Semenov&Pevzner has prepared a comprehensive report on legal conflicts in the gaming industry for the first half of this year.

At the end of July, Sony filed a lawsuit against Tencent, accusing the Chinese company of copyright infringement. We have reconstructed the timeline of events and thoroughly examined the essence of the claims. To navigate the legal intricacies, we were assisted by specialists from Denuo and REVERA.

The sudden dismissal of the leaders of Unknown Worlds turned into one of the most talked-about scandals in the gaming industry in recent times. Here, we detail the conflict and the lawsuit against Krafton. To better understand the legal intricacies, we sought comments from experts at Futura Digital and Semenov&Pevzner.

It turns out that some venture contracts contain a loophole that allows a party to unilaterally exit the deal. Lawyers from REVERA, Diana Kryltzova and Alexandra Kovaleva, explained what this loophole is.

Under the sanctions, developers and game publishers from the CIS find it challenging to generate revenue from foreign markets. To address this issue, one can establish a new company abroad that could accept revenue from foreign users. Roman Motorin and Nazar Volkov, lawyers at FUTURA, explained how to approach this and what to pay attention to in their guide for App2Top.

The tax reform of 2025 introduced a significant number of changes to Russian legislation, completely transforming the usual business practices. In their article for App2Top, lawyers from Prospectacy, Irma Novikova and Kristina Kurtaeva, vividly explored how the reform affected tax calculations in the IT sector.

In the Russian gaming industry, there’s an ongoing discussion about the situation surrounding the visual novel “Tiny Bunny” (Зайчик). One of the project’s composers, Dmitry Petyakin, wanted to increase the remuneration for his music and claimed that the music was being used improperly. Additionally, he started blocking the game’s streams on YouTube, raising concerns among other developers. In an article, lawyers from Semenov&Pevzner delve into how to determine if rights were transferred to the client…

On the website of the Cyprus Lawyers Association, App2Top found documents regarding a legal dispute between the gaming companies Beresnev Games and SayGames. According to the documents, the development studio demanded the court prohibit the publisher from distributing and monetizing its game. The editorial team interviewed the founder of the studio, Oleg Beresnev, about the situation.

The legal firm Semenov&Pevzner has prepared a global report on legal conflicts in the gaming industry over the past six months.

The topic of age ratings has been a hotly debated issue in the Russian gaming industry over the past year due to markings proposed by the RVIA and APRIORI associations. Considering that one of them may well be mandated for all gaming projects distributed in Russia, it’s high time to examine international practices. In her column for App2Top, Svetlana Gordey, a leading lawyer from REVERA, detailed the history and types of these markings.

About the new tax changes in Russia concerning IT companies, explained senior legal counsel at Prospectacy Viktor Ivanov.

Svetlana Gordey, a leading attorney at REVERA, discussed the variety of tax incentives, strong legal protections, and a developed business environment that make the UK an almost ideal location for gaming studios in her column for App2Top.

Experts from Futura Digital have prepared a column for App2Top about an emerging legal conflict between Nintendo, its affiliate The Pokémon Company, and Pocketpair, who released the multiplatform blockbuster Palworld earlier this year.

The tax reliefs for companies in the gaming sector in China, South Korea, the United Kingdom, Canada, and Germany were discussed by the lawyers at REVERA.

The presence of a Data Processing Agreement (DPA) is currently a mandatory requirement under European law, as well as the laws of Brazil and the United Kingdom. Experts from the law firm REVERA, Julia Burmistrova and Ekaterina Yakoltsevich, explained what it is and what aspects should be considered within it.