GamesMarket Daily – 14 Oct 26: Norway, Takeshi Furukawa, Games Ground, Drake Star, Splitscreen, Xbox, MGZstart, SELL

The Norwegian government is one of the most consumer-centric ones when it comes to gambling rights, dear readers,

and it has long announced it would not rest on traditional gambling definitions when weighting digital games and their content. The Gaming Authority has now performed a task it was given by the government and identified loot boxes in games and even skin gambling around games as being close enough to gambling in their view that relatively simple amendments of the law would cover it.

While big part of the gaming industry will likely not be happy with either of the three solutions it proposes, I would like to put a bit of a spotlight on option 2, which would widen the definition of gambling to include gambling-like acts without prizes that have a monetary value. It would likely be the hardest amendment to get through, but it would also have the biggest impact – not just on games and apps, but also on the physical card game space, for instance. And while Norway is in itself not a big market, you might remember from our prior reporting that the Norwegian and EU consumer rights authorities are in very close connection, so the concepts are not as far from big loot box money makers as they might appear to be.

Here are the news of the day!

Your Pascal Wagner

Norwegian Gaming and Foundation Authority Proposes Ways To Classify Lootboxes as Gambling

At the request of the Norwegian Parliament and Ministry of Culture and Equality, the Norwegian Gaming and Foundation Authority has proposed three ways on how to amend Gambling definitions to protect consumer from loot boxes and skin gambling.
(Read more...)

by Pascal Wagner

Game Music Makers: Takeshi Furukawa

Game composer Takeshi Furukawa from Los Angeles has scored Planet of Lana I & II, The Last Guardian and Netflix's Avatar: The Last Airbender. We spoke to him about how game music has reached film music in professionality, refraining from middleware and more.
(Read more...)

by Pascal Wagner

Games Ground Berlin Finalises Business Programme for 2026

Four stages, over 55 talks and panels, and a range of networking opportunities – the organisers have finalised and published the programme for the Business Days at this year’s Games Ground Berlin.
(Read more...)

by Stephan Steininger

More News of the Day...

Drake Star: Gaming M&A, Private Financings and More in Q3

Global technology investment bank Drake Star has released its latest Global Gaming Report for Q3 of 2026. The report covers M&A activity, private financing and IPOs in the games industry. This quarter saw robust gaming M&A activity, while gaming stocks rallied.
(Read more...)

Funding in Bavaria: The Right Support For Startups and Professional Studios

A new funding guideline for video games has been in effect in Bavaria since July 1. It offers more support to young studios and enables more experienced teams to take on larger projects, but it also requires a higher level of professionalism.
(Read more...)

Senior Game Designer (InnoGames)
Concept Artist (Snowprint Studios)
Senior Backend Developer (Snowprint Studios)
Game Analyst for Forge of Empires (InnoGames)
Marketing Artist (Hutch)

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EA Sports FC 27 Has Sold Over 600,000 Units in Germany

The exact sales figures have not been disclosed, but thanks to the game Sales Awards, one thing is certain: EA Sports FC 27 sold over 600,000 units across all platforms in Germany during its first month of release.
(Read more...)

Splitscreen Croatia Announces Speaker Lineup

The new games event at the Croatian coast Splitscreen has opened early bird sales and announced the speaker lineup, including Rami Ismail, Rebecca Lautner, Astrid Refstrup, Cristoffer Bodegard and many more.
(Read more...)

MGZstart Funding Submissions Open for 2027

Until 30 Novembers, media makers in North Rhine-Westphalia can apply for the MGZstart 2027 funding of Mediengründerzentrum NRW. Games can be funded as well and have been in the past.
(Read more...)

Xbox Labs Shall Turn Emerging Ideas Into Players and Dev Experiences

Microsoft says it aims to be at the forefront of the future of gaming technologies. That is why Xbox head Asha Sharma has set up Xbox Labs, led by CTO Scott Van Vliet, a team tasked with exploring and developing technologies and possibilities.
(Read more...)

Invest in Games 2026 Takes Place 11 November in Stockholm

Dataspelsbranschen's Invest in Games conference for the Swedish games industry takes place on 11 November Biblioteket Live in Stockholm. New this year are exhibitor stands and bookable meeting tables.
(Read more...)

SELL and Internet Sans Crainte Launch Awareness Campaign Ahead Paris Games Week

Under the name “Enter the game”, the French games industry association SELL and Internet Sans Crainte have launched an online campaign designed to support parents in protecting young people whilst gaming, providing information on topics such as parental control systems and PEGI.
(Read more...)

Gaming on RTX Spark and More DLSS Updates

The Nvidia RTX Spark laptops are set to hit the market at the end of the week. They will feature the full range of RTX gaming technologies. The company is also pushing ahead with the development of DLSS 5 and other RTX technologies.
(Read more...)

Paris Game Biz 2026 Shares Program and Participant Numbers

120 studios, 30 of which from outside France, delegations from Greece, Poland and UAE, 40 investors: Paris Game Biz starts on 20 October and has released its talk program now. One of the highlights: A studio tour of the Sloclap offices.
(Read more...)