Text and photos: Arto Käyhkö
Last week, I had the chance to take part in Paris Games Week 2025 — and once again, it proved why the European gaming scene continues to be one of the most dynamic geographical areas in the world of gaming industry. I saw everything from major console launches to indie showcases and vibrant esports finals. PGW reminded us again that gaming is no longer a niche hobby — it’s the cultural core of modern entertainment. PGW itself was a big consumer focused event, as it has always been, but I also participated in the more business focused PGW for Business side event. This was the first time it was held inside the main event and kind of continuing the tradition of Paris Game Connection, that has folded away during the pandemic years. The business event was of course not as big as the consumer side, but nevertheless, packed with pitching and interesting studio cases by SpielFabrique incubator and also Xsolla and Tencent Games.
I also participated in the panel for the pitching competition and heard very exiting new studios pitching their ideas and games – some that have already been introduced to Tampere-based Finnish counterparts for possible cooperation!
One thing that came up repeatedly in my conversations and the well organized panels was the European Union’s new Digital Fairness Act (DFA). The act could significantly slow innovation in European game development by adding complex compliance demands to areas like in-game data, personalization, and monetization — areas where creative agility is key to competitiveness. While its intent to ensure transparency and protect consumers is understandable, it’s also causing a fair bit of confusion and frustration, especially among mobile game developers. Balancing compliance with creative freedom and usability is turning into a tricky puzzle for studios of all sizes. This situation is very much alive at the moment and significant number of game developers and organizations have been writing about it and messaging EU Parliament to reconsider the act.
Another strong theme throughout the event was how gaming has become the primary gateway to entertainment for younger audiences. The shift is somewhat striking — where cinema and music defined youth culture in the 1990s and 2000s, today it’s games, communities, and digital worlds that shape how people connect, socialize, and express themselves. Consumption of media is ever increasing but the balance is shifting more into digital and games. There is also a fair bit of transmedia influence, where one cannot really say wheter is it film, tv or game that the audience is engaged in. This is very important also for the industry to understand and mold its production methods so that they can cater the needs of the transmedia era!
And few words for those working with entertainment IPs, one takeaway stood out:
A successful partnership in utilizing IP´s hinges on thoughtful strategy — knowing your audience, respecting both (all involved) brands’ identities, and building something that feels authentic. Audience and fans can sense when a collaboration is genuine, and in this industry, trust is the ultimate currency. Fake doesn’t carry, real is the deal, as the saying after the expert panels was neatly put.
All in all, Paris Games Week 2025 was a good reminder that the European gaming industry is again thriving and evolving fast. The conversations around regulation, creativity, and cross-media collaboration will define the next few years of our industry and will have significant changes as well as various business opportunities in gaming and av-industries.