Lobby update – December 2025

Two steps forward, one step backwards….

Let’s first look at the highlights. Dutch Game Week and the Dutch Game Awards were great opportunities for the games industry to seize the spotlight. Many regional and some national news outlets covered the activities of the week, and the presence of several policy makers on stage during the award show (the deputy major of Breda, the Director of Media&Creative Industry at the Ministry of OCW, and the Regional Minister for the Provence of Noord Brabant) really underlined that games are more and more recognised as digital culture and pushing technological advancement. Breda and Noord-Brabant are committed to support the games industry in the long run, and the City of Rotterdam is also making strides by officially starting their research project how Rotterdam can realise a Game District.

On the other hand, on a national and European level the Consumer Protection Cooperation and the Dutch Authoriteit Consument & Markt have published postion papers about online games in context of the Digital Fairness Act, without consulting the games industry or without an opportunity for dialogue. Several European game industry CEO’s have already published open letters expressing their worries about the far reaching implications these recommendations could have on the industry. Some of these letters were met with backlash from within the industry for lacking self-reflection.

So where does the DGA stand? In line with the point of view of the European Games Developer Federation, we wish to be part of the conversation. We call on the CPC network, the European Commission, and national authorities like the ACM to engage with the games industry in constructive dialogue. Let us jointly explore practical and proportionate measures that protect players while preserving the innovation, employment, and cultural value that games bring to Europe. The Dutch games industry is ready and willing to contribute its experience and data to help shape sensible, future-proof policy.