Pillar Legal, P.C.

🎥 Highlights from the 2024 Video Game Law Summit in Shanghai!

Goodbye GDC 👋🎮 This was my first Game Developers Conference since moving from San Francisco to San Diego, and wow — it was good to be back in the Bay! 🌉🌁 San Francisco was looking as beautiful as ever: ✨ The Bay glistening in the sun 🏀 The Chase Center shining (Go Warriors!) 🌁 The Golden Gate still iconic 🧼 Even the streets looked a little cleaner than I remember — maybe new mayor Daniel Lurie is already making a difference and helping improve the city’s image! 🙌 What really made the week special, though, was the people. It felt like a high school reunion — reconnecting with game industry friends from France, Germany, Canada, China, Singapore, Korea, and just about everywhere else. 🌍💬 Huge thanks to everyone we met with — both at our 6th Annual GDC Mixer on Sunday afternoon and throughout the week. These conversations, ideas, and shared laughs are what keep this industry thriving. 📸 Florence Houisse at KERN & WEYL, Stan Watt of Wargaming, Lisa Cosmas Hanson, Michele Maguire and Alexander Champlin of Niko Partners, Andrea Yang of Makers Fund, GC Chew, Ash Shui, Tian Ye and Huayang Miao of Rising Tide Studios, Daniel Koburger of KBL Roche, Bill Wang of Skystone Games, Alan Chinn, Eugene Park, Rohan Zaveri, Steven Luu, CPA and Min Thein, CPA, MST of Baker Tilly, Ryan You and Devin Maa of DenMu Fund, Clara Benyamin 🔜 Les Journées de l'Immersif of CBLF AVOCATS, Mike Ouye of Engaged Labs, Yoon Im of Arc Games, David Youssefi of Daybreak Game Company LLC, Farzad Rahbar of FlyX Technologies and Dean Zhao. #GDC2025 #GameDev #SanFrancisco #Networking #Gratitude #GlobalGaming #GDCMixer #ChaseCenter #GoldenGateBridge #BackToTheBay

My GDC Week 🌍It was wonderful meeting with developers, publishers, investors, vendors, analysts and students during this past GDC week. While we’re all navigating challenging market conditions that have created stress across the industry, I observed several encouraging trends: -      Despite significant layoffs, game communities remain active -      More companies are interested in console games -      Emerging markets continue to attract interest - Southeast Asia, South America, Middle East -      Indie game development maintains its innovation ✨Special thanks to the following who took time to meet with me: Florence Houisse of Kern Weyl, Stan Watt of Wargaming, Lisa Cosmas Hanson, Michele Maguire and @ Alexander Champlin of Niko Partners, Andrea Yang of @ Makers Fund, GC Chew, @ Ash Shui @ Tianye and @ Huayang Miao of Rising Tide Studios, Daniel Koburger and Jesper Rantatulkkila of KBL Roche, Bill Wang of Skystone Games, Alan Chinn, Eugene Park, Rohan Zaveri, Steven Luu, CPA and Min Thein, CPA, MST of Baker Tilly US, Ryan You and Devin Maa of DenMu Fund, Clara Benyamin 🔜 Les Journées de l'Immersif of @ CBLF Avocots, Mike Ouye of @ Engaged Labs, Yoon I. of Arc Games, Claire Yang of Kingsoft, Jialing (JL) Xie of Unity and Michael Huang. 🌁Also, a true highlight of the week was the Hotpot China game industry gathering. Despite the nuanced complexities of US-China relations, there was something truly special about connecting with so many Chinese colleagues and friends. I’m particularly grateful to Bo Mei for hosting such a great gathering. Looking forward to continuing our conversations at future industry events. #GDC2025 #GameDev #SanFrancisco #Networking #ChinaGame#GlobalGame

Pillar Legal 6th GDC Mixer Recap 🎮✨ 🙌 A huge thank you to all our friends who joined us for our 6th annual GDC Mixer! It’s always a pleasure to reconnect in San Francisco with so many great people from around the world, sharing insights, experiences, and a few well-earned drinks. 🥂 During our welcome toast, we touched on some key themes shaping the industry today🍹 🌪️A Challenging Market – The games industry has been facing headwinds, with global revenue growth under 1% for the past two years and widespread layoffs—over 10,000 in 2023 and nearly 15,000 already in 2024. It’s a tough time for many developers and studios, but resilience and innovation continue to drive the industry forward. 🌐 Geopolitical Uncertainty – The broader landscape remains unpredictable, with the U.S.-China relationship being just one of many big question marks. Navigating this complexity is more critical than ever for global gaming companies. 🎯 Opportunities Still Exist – Despite regulatory challenges in some areas (just ask TikTok), the global games market remains open. The success of Black Myth: Wu Kong worldwide and the highly anticipated World of Warcraft relaunch in China highlight the enduring demand for great games. 🪄 🤝Thank you again to everyone who attended. We look forward to seeing you next year for more great conversations, collaborations, and camaraderie! 🥳 #GDC2025 #GamingIndustry #PillarLegal #GameDevelopment

🎙️Pillar Legal Tech Law Podcast: Demystifying Startup Financing Documents 💡After 17 years of helping tech and game companies in both U.S. and China markets, we’re launching this podcast to answer your frequently asked questions (FAQs). Whether you’re a tech leader, business executive, or in-house counsel, we’ll help you navigate crucial decisions that could save time, money, and headaches down the road. 🎯 Our FAQ podcast will cover these four key categories: Tech Startups 🚀 Video Game Industry 🎮 U.S. Market Entry & Compliance 🇺🇸✅ China Market Entry & Compliance 🇨🇳✔️ ✨Today’s episode falls under Tech Startups. When founders begin considering raising external funds, their first questions are often: what investment methods are available, and what documents are required? Our debut episode cuts through the complexity of fundraising by comparing three key options: Priced Equity Rounds, Convertible Notes, and SAFEs (Simple Agreements for Future Equity). Available now in your preferred format: 📱 Read the full post: https://lnkd.in/gg_iWY5G 🎧 Listen on Spotify: https://lnkd.in/gQwcDCyP 📺 Watch on YouTube: https://lnkd.in/gsavSFg3 📍Stay tuned for our upcoming episodes and join us on this informative journey! #TechLaw #StartupFinancing #Innovation #FAQ #LegalPodcast

🚀 How Will the New Bulk Data Transfer Rule Impact China’s Game Companies? On December 27, 2024, the Department of Justice (DOJ) issued the final rule restricting access to Americans' bulk sensitive personal data and U.S. government-related data by certain countries or persons. For China-based game companies operating in the U.S., this raises critical questions: ⚠️ Which data transactions are prohibited or restricted under the final rule? ⚠️ How does the final rule apply to game-related operations involving bulk U.S. sensitive personal data? ⚠️ What compliance strategies should China game companies consider? With these new restrictions, data compliance in the U.S. is has evolved from a state-level privacy issue to a broader national security concern. Our latest article delves into the key provisions of the new rule and examines its potential implications for the U.S. operations of China game companies. 📖 Read the full article here: https://lnkd.in/gMcBmNTE #Game #BulkSensitivePersonalData #ChinaTech #DataCompliance

Pillar Legal GDC Mixer 2025: RSVP Now 🎮🌟 We are just two weeks away from 2025’s Game Developers Conference (“GDC”) in San Francisco! Join us for our annual mixer event ahead of the first day of GDC. In past years, we have been lucky to meet with developers, publishers, investors and industry professionals in the game industry. We look forward to hosting our game industry friends once more for food, drinks, and lively conversations. 📅 Date: March 16, 2025 🕕 Time: 1:30 – 4:30 pm PST 📍 Location: Fisherman’s Wharf, San Francisco To secure your spot at this event, simply drop us a message here on Linkedin or comment “RSVP” below. Specific location will be provided upon your RSVP. See you there! 🕹️🤝 #GDC #GameDevelopers #Networking

Our colleague Yue LU attended the AI Founder Investor Meetup in San Francisco, hosted by HashMatrix. It was a rewarding experience!

🌏 Entering the China market? Here’s what not to do. We’ve spent decades helping hundreds of tech companies expand into China, and some mistakes pop up more often than others. To help you avoid those same costly pitfalls, we’ve identified and unpacked the top five legal mistakes that foreign businesses make when entering the China market. We’ve also provided insights and best practices on what you can do instead to ensure you’re on the right legal track in China from the start. If you get these points right, you’ll already be ahead of the curve. 📝 Download our free article here ➡️ https://lnkd.in/gzv72pk5 #ChinaMarket #LegalMistakes #ChinaExpansion #LegalAdvice

🎮 Our partner Chao Yu was recently quoted in GamesBeat’s article “NetEase raises fears it is unloading its overseas game properties, hurting U.S.”, providing insights into the strategic shifts of China game companies. He noted that while investments in overseas development studios may decrease, these companies remain committed to global expansion. This shift is driven by increased confidence in domestic development capabilities—evidenced by the success of titles like Black Myth: Wukong, Marvel Rivals, and Delta Force—and the significantly lower development costs in China compared to the U.S. and other Western markets. Companies such as Tencent and NetEase are expected to develop more games domestically while focusing on publishing them globally. As the industry adapts, the focus will be on balancing global ambitions with strategic resource allocation and operational efficiency. 🌐 Please find the full article here: https://lnkd.in/gHUFfHvU #VideoGame #GameDevelopment #NetEase #GamePublishing #GameIndustry