Legal Summit: New Common Standards for Age Ratings: How PEGI and USK are Tackling Interactive Risk Categories

Tuesday, August 25, 2026 3:15 PM to 4:00 PM · 45 min. (Europe/Berlin)
Stage 4 - Confex Level 1
Talk
~All~BusinessLegal Summit

Information

In June 2026, PEGI rolled out its most significant update in history — four new interactive risk criteria covering in-game purchases, paid random items, addictive return mechanics and unrestricted online communication. The blueprint? Germany's USK, which pioneered a comparable approach following the 2023 update to the German Youth Protection Act. Dirk Bosman and Elisabeth Secker discuss how the new criteria came about, what they mean for game developers in practice, and what the growing alignment between national and pan-European self-regulation signals for the future.
Topics
~All~BusinessLegal Summit
Track
Legal Summit
Session Type
Talk
Target Audiences
gamescom legal summit is designed for anyone working at the intersection of law and the video games industry. Its core audience is in-house counsel and legal affairs professionals at publishers, developers and platform companies — but it is equally relevant for external lawyers advising games clients, as well as business affairs managers, executives and developers with a keen interest in the legal and regulatory forces shaping their industry.
Experience Level
Beginner
Key Take Aways
- A detailed understanding of PEGI's most significant update in its history: the new criteria for in-game purchases, paid random items, addictive return mechanics and unrestricted online communication - An appreciation of how USK's earlier reform under the German Youth Protection Act served as the blueprint — and where PEGI went further - Practical implications for game developers submitting titles for age rating classification going forward
Available to Ticket Type(s)
  • gcdev Basic Pass
    • gcdev Student Pass
      • gcdev Content Pass
        • gcdev Trade Pass
          • gcdev Press Pass
            • gcdev Speaker Pass
              • gcdev VIP Pass

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