Microsoft, Nintendo and Sony Interactive Entertainment update their shared commitment to safer gameplay

​Video Games Europe applauds the latest update to the Shared Commitment to Safer Gaming announced by our members of Nintendo, Sony Interactive Entertainment/PlayStation and Microsoft/Xbox. This renewed commitment, building on the collaboration first established in 2020, reinforce the industry’s commitment that video gameplay is for everyone and demonstrates how the video game industry continues to lead through innovation and cooperation to foster positive and responsible gameplay for all, especially young players.  

Three Pillars of the Updated Shared Commitment
The updated shared commitment is organised around three pillars - Prevention, Partnership, and Responsibility - reflecting a comprehensive, multidisciplinary approach that aligns with both industry best practices and evolving policy priorities.

Prevention: Empowering players and parents to understand and control gameplay experiences
At the heart of responsible gameplay is empowerment - enabling players, parents and guardians to understand and shape their, or their children, gameplay experiences. The companies commit to: 

• - Provide controls that let players customise their gameplay experience. The companies support parents with the tools and information necessary to help them customise appropriate gameplay experiences for their children. 
• - Recognise that for safety features to be useful, they must be easy to use and understand. The companies promote the availability of their safety tools and provide guidance on how to use them through platforms, support channels, services, websites, and retail stores to reach more players and parents. 
• - Inform parents and players about the companies’ codes of conduct and terms of use to support positive gameplay experiences for everyone. These policies are enforced through a variety of preventive and remedial measures. Products are designed with transparency and player empowerment at their core, aiming to make experiences that are intuitive and respect players’ choices. 

Partnership: Collaboration across industry peers, publishers, regulators, law enforcement, and communities to advance player safety
A defining feature of this commitment is the emphasis on partnership, reflecting that safety advances most effectively when actors work together: 

• - The commitment to safety is central, and the companies believe collaboration benefits the video game industry and all players by fostering safe gameplay experiences. 
• - The companies partner and engage with global and regional industry trade organisations, industry members, regulators, law enforcement, non-profit organisations, and experts to develop and/or advance online safety initiatives. These include Thriving in Games Group, the Family Online Safety Institute, and others. 
• - The companies conduct shared research to inform policy decisions and to drive industry innovation. Individually, the companies have engaged with external research centers that study play and wellbeing. 
• - The companies partner with their community to promote safe gameplay behaviour and encourage the use of reporting tools to call out bad actors, and they have tools and processes in place to support rapid response to emerging incidents. 
• - The companies collaborate with ratings agencies such as the ESRB and PEGI, among others, to ensure that their games are rated for the appropriate audience, and work closely with Video Games Europe and other trade associations to share trust & safety information designed to educate and promote positive play experiences. 
• - The companies invest in leading technology and proactive collaboration to help thwart improper conduct and content. The companies participate in key industry initiatives, including the Tech Coalition and its Lantern program, that are dedicated to enhancing child safety through technology, knowledge-sharing, and transparency. 

 Responsibility: Accountability and action 
The updated principles reaffirm the industry’s commitment to accountability in how platforms are governed and enforced. Signatory companies commit to: 

• - Making it easy for players to report violations of their codes of conduct and community guidelines, which work to refine and evolve to support the player's communities. 
• - In addition to removing content not suitable for services, the companies take appropriate enforcement actions for violations, including restricting players from using their services for misconduct, with escalating restrictions for egregious or repeat violations. The companies engage in responsible and transparent practices, including the ethical use of all data, and deploy process enhancement technologies with skilled human oversight. 
• - The companies comply with all applicable laws in the places business is done and respond to legitimate requests from law enforcement. As well, promptly notify law enforcement if unlawful conduct is observed or where it is believed a player is at risk of imminent harm. 
• - The companies publish their rules and requirements, and we ensure that players who have been reported understand the requirements for continued engagement with our platforms. 

Why This Matters
The video game industry is a major economic and creative contributor in Europe, and these updated principles demonstrate how leading companies are proactively advancing shared priorities in: 

• - child and youth safety online
• - digital empowerment and media literacy 
• - multi-stakeholder collaboration to prevent harm 
• - harmonised implementation of safeguards across platforms 

These updated commitments show the industry can be both innovative and responsible - reinforcing our best-in-class co-regulatory approaches that leverage industry initiative and policy guidance to make digital environments positive and safer for all players. 

Video Games Europe stands ready to work with the European institutions and Member States to ensure that Europe’s players enjoy the benefits of great video game playing experiences.