The big boss battle for Quebec’s friendly local game stores might not be against a dragon or Cthulhu, but against a piece of legislation.
Store owners across the Canadian province are warning that a long-standing law, newly reinforced, could spell “game over” for the vibrant tabletop hobby.
At the heart of the issue is Quebec’s French Language Charter, a law that has been on the books since 1977. Article 51 of this charter mandates that French be the most prominent language on all commercial packaging and in accompanying documents. Yes, that includes the rulebooks for your favourite board games.
Now, you might be thinking, “Don’t most of the big games have multilingual versions anyway?” And you’d be right. Publishers like Asmodee and CMON often provide rules in several languages, including French. The real crunch, however, comes from the vast ecosystem of products that fill the shelves of a typical hobby store.
We’re talking about miniature wargames from the UK, specialised paint sets from Spain, and the latest Magic: The Gathering releases. For many of these niche products, French-language packaging doesn’t exist, and the Quebec market isn’t large enough for international companies to create it.
Several game store owners have voiced their concerns, with some telling CTV News that a significant portion of their inventory is technically in violation of the law. The fear is that a crackdown could force them to remove a significant percentage of their products from the shelves, rendering their businesses unviable. The gaming community is pushing for tabletop games and related products to be classified as “cultural products,” similar to books, which are exempt from these regulations.
So, Why the Sudden Panic?
This isn’t a new law, so what’s changed? The situation has been brought to a head by Bill 96, an update to the French Language Charter that has been progressing through the provincial government since 2022. New provisions of this bill came into effect on June 1, 2025, sparking renewed attention and, seemingly, a more aggressive enforcement stance from the Office québécois de la langue française (OQLF).
One Montreal-based store, Chez Geeks, reported to CBC back in February that they had already received three letters from the OQLF. The updated charter not only requires French to be the most prominent language but also stipulates that it must be at least as accessible as any other language on packaging.
Further complicating matters, the June 2025 updates target in-store signage and advertisements. This could be a major issue for stores that rely on promotional materials supplied by international publishers, which are often English-only.
The issue has even escalated to the federal and international levels. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has indicated the federal government might intervene if the law is challenged in Canada’s Supreme Court. Meanwhile, in the United States, the 2025 National Trade Estimate Report on Foreign Trade Barriers has labelled Bill 96 a “technical barrier” to trade, adding another layer of complexity to the ongoing trade discussions between the two countries.
For the passionate gamers and dedicated store owners of Quebec, the future of their hobby hangs in the balance. While the intent of the law is to protect the French language, its broad application could have the unintended consequence of wiping out a thriving cultural scene. The dice are rolling, and the outcome is anything but certain.
Image Credit: Sincerely Media.
