Activision Blizzard vs Light & Wonder

EU Consumer Watchdogs Probe Game Firms Over Virtual Currency

The European Consumer Protection Cooperation (CPC) Network has initiated coordinated actions against ten major game companies, including Activision Blizzard, King, Supercell, and Mojang, over potential non-compliance with its 'Key Principles' on in-game virtual currencies. The CPC is investigating games like Candy Crush Saga, Minecraft, and Clash of Clans for practices that may hide real costs of microtransactions and target vulnerable consumers, particularly children. Following last year's guidelines and extensive talks, the CPC claims many companies have not made substantive changes. The investigation could lead to enforcement measures under EU consumer law, though the principles are not legally binding. The case may set a precedent influencing the upcoming Digital Fairness Act.

• The European CPC Network has initiated coordinated actions against ten game companies, including Activision Blizzard, King, Supercell, and Mojang.
• The companies are being investigated for compliance with 'Key Principles' on in-game virtual currencies, which require transparent pricing and protecting children.
• Games under assessment include Candy Crush Saga, Minecraft, Clash of Clans, Valorant, and Diablo Immortal.

Xbox Maps the Gaming Advertising Ecosystem

An Adweek podcast episode with Claire Nance, Senior Director of Marketing Communications at Microsoft’s Xbox Media Solutions, explores gaming’s evolution into a mainstream advertising channel. The discussion highlights 3.6 billion global gamers and roughly 80% U.S. participation, the ubiquity of mobile gaming, and the importance of player-first ad experiences. Nance describes frameworks for brands to enter gaming (in-game, adjacent, outside), emphasizes non-disruptive formats like rewarded video and playable ads, and recounts her non-linear career path including early work building Activision Blizzard’s ads business before Microsoft’s acquisition.

• Claire Nance is Senior Director of Marketing Communications at Microsoft’s Xbox Media Solutions.
• There are approximately 3.6 billion gamers worldwide, and roughly 80% of people in the United States play games in some capacity.
• Xbox and its gaming-ad approach prioritize player-first advertising, favoring non-disruptive formats such as rewarded video and playable ads.

Transcend Fund's Lirui Ding on Chinese studio funding

Lirui Ding, a principal at Transcend Fund and former member of Activision Blizzard's strategy and M&A team, explains why capital is not scarce in China's games market and describes how funding has shifted in 2026. Backing roughly 40 studios, he looks for genuine differentiation—taste, community, live ops or AI-driven gameplay—that incumbents cannot easily copy. Ding distinguishes 'AI for games' (production/efficiency) from 'AI in games' (novel gameplay experiences) and warns that using generative AI alone is not a durable moat. He says equity rounds are less common, with hybrids (revenue-share, recoupable structures, publishing advances, strategic stakes) and publishing partnerships now prevalent as funding instruments.

• Lirui Ding is a principal at Transcend Fund and previously worked on strategy and M&A at Activision Blizzard.
• Transcend Fund backs approximately 40 game studios.
• Transcend led AI-led studio welevel's $8.5m Series A about a month before publication.

Light & Wonder Puts Iconic Brands and Powerhouse Franchises Center Stage at G2E 2026

Light & Wonder announced its participation at G2E 2026, highlighting iconic brands and powerhouse franchises. Additionally, the company appointed Muthu Palanichamy as SVP & GM of Global Systems, and was selected to replace table games technology across multiple Delaware North properties.

Light & Wonder Appoints Muthu Palanichamy as Senior Vice President & General Manager of Global Systems

Light & Wonder announced the appointment of Muthu Palanichamy as Senior Vice President & General Manager of Global Systems, effective September 17, 2026.

SciPlay Cuts 20 Jobs in Israel

SciPlay has cut about 20 jobs at its Ramat Gan development hub, roughly 7% of the site's ~300-person workforce. SciPlay Games Israel — described as a strategic development and growth centre that arose partly from Light & Wonder’s 2014 acquisition of Dragonplay — accounts for about one-third of SciPlay’s global headcount and handles engineering, product, data science/analytics, UI/UX and digital marketing. The studio develops and operates free-to-play social casino titles including Quick Hit Slots, 88 Fortunes and Hot Shot Casino, and its Israeli operations are managed by Chief Revenue Officer Noga Halperin. The reductions, which affect multiple disciplines, follow a separate round of cuts in June and come after parent company Light & Wonder reported a 7% year-on-year revenue decline to $187m in the first quarter; SciPlay has not publicly tied the latest cuts to any strategic review.

• SciPlay cut about 20 jobs at its Ramat Gan site, roughly 7% of the ~300 local workforce.
• SciPlay Games Israel accounts for roughly one-third of SciPlay’s global headcount.
• The centre develops and operates free-to-play social casino titles including Quick Hit Slots, 88 Fortunes and Hot Shot Casino and covers engineering, product, data, UI/UX and marketing.