Supercell, King and Sybo bosses hit out at “scary” EU proposals

Ilkka Paananen, Todd Green and Mathias Gredal Nørvig have criticised incoming EU proposals that they believe could make free to play games “unplayable in Europe”.

The Supercell, King and Sybo bosses told The Financial Times that proposed EU regulation of virtual currency in free to play games could destroy the region’s thriving mobile game development scene.

Supercell boss Paananen warned back in October 2025 that the proposals could “kill” European games companies. The EU wants greater control over how digital currencies are bought and used in free to play games in order to protect children and vulnerable players.

The proposals are similar to how websites ask users to accept cookies, and would add bespoke pop-ups whenever players spend or buy virtual currency. They would also force developers to show the real-world currency value of in-game items rather than their worth in the game’s virtual currency.

Supercell boss Paananen told the FT: “Basically, these games would become unplayable in Europe . . . Mobile games is one of the very few industries where Europe and the Nordics specifically can claim they are the leader [and] it is a really scary point if you think about European competitiveness at large.”

He estimated that if the EU regulation goes ahead, a player would see an EU-mandated pop-up around 40 times in a typical Supercell game session.

Microsoft-owned King published a report on EU mobile game developers’ contribution to the economy earlier this week. Today, King president Todd Green told the FT that the removal of virtual currencies would make playing games like Candy Crush Saga “confusing and less attractive” in the EU.

Sybo CEO Mathias Gredal Nørvig said that he believes Brussels does not understand the mobile game industry, and has perhaps been spooked by anecdotes about children racking up large in-app purchase bills without their parents’ knowledge.

“Some of the legislation proposed now looks more frightened from not understanding, rather than wanting to understand the nuances of what gaming can actually do,” he said. “Because if you play age-appropriately and games that your parents are engaged in, then the science is overwhelmingly positive on the impacts of gaming.”

The Supercell, King and Sybo bosses also agreed that the EU proposals would make playing and making games in the US and Asia a superior experience, while also  disadvantaging EU players and game-makers.

Paananen added: “It would make Europe a . . . much smaller market for mobile games”.