#gaming

Chinese courts have ruled in multiple cases spanning years that virtual assets like game accounts, in-game items, and cryptocurrencies are inheritable property, and platform terms prohibiting inheritance are invalid. This establishes a legal precedent for digital asset inheritance in China, potentially affecting millions of gamers and forcing platforms to comply with inheritance requests. It could also influence global discussions on digital property rights. The courts held that user agreements barring inheritance violate legal rights. However, personal privacy content like chat logs is not inheritable and will be archived by the platform. Platforms may charge reasonable fees for account transfer.

Microsoft announced a major reset of its Xbox division, citing thin and non-growing profit margins despite $5 billion in quarterly revenue, leading to layoffs and studio independence. This restructuring signals a strategic shift in Microsoft's gaming approach, potentially affecting the industry's hardware, subscription, and acquisition strategies, and impacting thousands of developers. The reset includes trimming operations to return to growth, with CEO Asha acknowledging corporate management failures and allowing studios to go independent, while Xbox continues to generate significant revenue.

A blog post argues that the central issue in the physical versus digital games debate is ownership, not format, and calls for regulations to grant buyers genuine property rights over digital purchases. This discussion is significant because it highlights growing consumer concerns about digital ownership and DRM restrictions, potentially influencing future regulation and industry practices in gaming and software. The post emphasizes that digital purchases should allow transfer, loan, or sale, and criticizes companies revoking access. It notes that even Steam games can be played offline without the launcher if DRM is bypassed.