The Digital Fairness Act explained and Final Fantasy's mobile return | Week in Views
The games industry moves quickly and while stories may come and go there are some that we just can't let go of…
So, to give those particularly thorny topics a further going over we've created a weekly digest where the members of the PocketGamer.biz team share their thoughts and go that little bit deeper on some of the more interesting things that have happened in mobile gaming in the past week.
Paige Cook
The Digital Fairness Act consultation, but for actual human beings
The European Commission’s proposed Digital Fairness Act continues to stir some debate this week after Supercell CEO Ilkka Paananen shared his thoughts last week on LinkedIn.
We followed this up with a series of industry opinions in our Mobile Mavens, where many industry leaders agreed with his concerns. Although some do see things from a different approach, all seem to agree that this act could have serious implications for games made in Europe.
This week, we had a guest post from Celia Pontin, director of policy and public affairs at Flux Digital Policy. The article was very insightful and provides a great overview of what is happening,what the act actually entails and what you can do about it.
As of right now, the act is still at an early stage with the commission asking for feedback on topics such as dark patterns, influencer marketing and in-game purchasing. Responses for this are open until October 24th.
Celia notes that one debated area involves in-game currency, stating that “there’s often no such thing as a ‘real world price ' for an in-game item.” Celia also notes that requiring real-world prices could be difficult to implement and may ultimately not benefit the player.
Celia’s takeaway is that there’s still time to respond and that industry input matters. The DFA could reshape much of what we know about game monetisation in Europe, so it’s important that the industry let itself be heard.
If you’re still not sure what it all means, do check out the full article.
Aaron Astle
Dissidia Duellum Final Fantasy to launch on mobile in 2026
It’s always interesting to see another mobile game from Square Enix - a company becoming known for closing down mobile games regardless of the size of the IP. Final Fantasy, Dragon Quest, Kingdom Hearts… No title is safe just by virtue of brand recognition.
But, Square has far from given up on making the next mobile hit, with its next attempt coming to iOS and Android sometime in 2026.
That title is Dissidia Duellum Final Fantasy, set in modern Tokyo but featuring legacy characters from the Final Fantasy series like Cloud Strife and Kain Highwind. It looks like they’ll be dressing up in modern garbs too, with customisation options adding to that unique player experience.
There are plans for a closed beta next month, so we’ll likely be hearing more about the 3v3 boss battles and other gameplay elements soon.