Core Viewpoint - The Supreme Court has denied Google's request to pause a lower court's ruling requiring changes to its Play app store, which is a significant development in the ongoing antitrust case filed by Epic Games against Google [2][3]. Group 1: Legal Developments - The Supreme Court's denial of Google's request occurred on October 6, 2023, without any comments [2]. - A jury ruled in favor of Epic Games in 2023, leading to a judge's order in October 2024 that mandates Google to allow users to download rival app stores and make its app catalog available to competitors [3]. Group 2: Company Responses - A Google spokesperson expressed concerns that the changes ordered by the U.S. District Court could jeopardize user safety in downloading apps, while also stating that the company would continue its appeal [4]. - Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney highlighted that the Supreme Court's decision allows developers to direct U.S. Google Play users to out-of-app payments without additional fees or complications, aligning with similar rights for Apple App Store users [4]. Group 3: Market Implications - Sweeney noted that various vendors are preparing to establish deals with developers in the U.S. and potentially the EU, despite challenges from big tech companies [5]. - Epic Games has launched Web Shops, enabling developers to sell in-game content directly to players, which is expected to gain traction in the U.S. following the court's injunction allowing steering [5][6].

Core Viewpoint - Epic Games has achieved a significant legal victory against Apple and Google regarding their app store policies, with the Federal Court of Australia ruling that both companies engaged in anti-competitive conduct in app distribution [1]. Group 1: Legal Ruling - The Federal Court of Australia found that Apple and Google abused their dominant market positions to limit competition in app distribution [1]. - The court rejected Epic's claims of "unconscionable conduct" by the tech giants [1]. Group 2: Implications for Epic Games - Following the ruling, Epic Games' CEO Tim Sweeney indicated that the Epic Games Store and Fortnite would soon return to the Apple App Store in Australia [2]. Group 3: Responses from Apple and Google - Google expressed disagreement with the court's characterization of its billing policies and practices, while welcoming the rejection of Epic's demands regarding app store distribution [3]. - Apple stated that its app store is the safest way for users to obtain apps and disagreed with some aspects of the court's ruling on Epic's claims [4].

Core Viewpoint - Epic Games is expanding its Epic Games Store to mobile platforms, particularly targeting the Japanese iOS market by 2025, amidst ongoing disputes with app stores like Apple and Google [4][6]. Group 1: Competitive Advantages - Epic Games Store has a competitive edge in social features and cross-platform compatibility [6]. - The user base for PC on Epic Games Store is projected to reach 295 million by the end of 2024, with an average monthly active user count of 67.2 million, making it the second-largest PC game store after Valve's Steam [6]. Group 2: Developer Support - The fee structure for game sales on Epic Games Store ranges from 0% to 12%, significantly lower than the typical 30% charged by competitors, which encourages more developers and publishers to join the platform [6]. - Since its launch, Epic Games Store has reportedly paid over $2.1 billion to developers and publishers [6]. Group 3: Market Expansion - Epic Games is planning to open iOS stores in Japan, the UK, and Brazil, indicating a strategic move to increase its presence in mobile gaming [7].

Group 1 - The core viewpoint of the article is that China's gaming industry is transitioning from rapid expansion to a phase of "high-quality growth," facing deep restructuring in strategy, monetization logic, and market structure [1][2][5] - The report by AppsFlyer indicates that 2025 will be a critical turning point for the global gaming industry, moving from "traffic dividends" to "structural changes," with a nearly 400% increase in global game app installations since 2016, but entering a growth plateau starting in 2024 [1][2] - The gaming industry is shifting from "expansion" to "efficiency," with rising customer acquisition costs and scarce user attention making "high-quality overseas expansion" a strategic imperative for Chinese gaming companies [1][2] Group 2 - The gaming industry is experiencing a "neutralization" trend, where companies must adopt refined operations to tackle high customer acquisition costs, and the industry should focus on adjusting store revenue-sharing models [2][5] - The overall gaming market has been stagnant or slightly shrinking due to global economic slowdown and intensified competition, although "lightweight games" continue to grow, with casual games increasing their share in non-organic installs by 10 percentage points from the first half of 2021 to the first half of 2025 [5][6] - There is a noticeable differentiation in the regions chosen by Chinese gaming companies for overseas expansion, as different regions have varying player preferences for game types and gameplay [6][7] Group 3 - The concept of "mini-games" has not gained the same popularity overseas as in China due to the lack of widely used platforms like WeChat and Douyin, making it necessary to adapt successful domestic mini-games into app formats for overseas markets [8] - Multi-platform strategies are becoming increasingly common among leading companies, driven by inconsistent growth in the mobile gaming market, with efforts to reach new user sources through web-to-app models and developing PC and console versions [9][10] - The PC gaming ecosystem remains underdeveloped, with limited user acquisition channels and insufficient platform support, making effective strategies and tactics a significant challenge for companies [12] Group 4 - The rising customer acquisition costs pose a challenge for Chinese gaming companies, as the industry has shifted from relying on organic growth to needing paid advertising for user acquisition, particularly affecting smaller developers [17][18] - The high revenue-sharing model (typically 30%) in overseas markets is becoming increasingly difficult for developers to accept, especially as profit margins decline, leading to calls for changes in the revenue-sharing structure [18] - The core of refined management is data-driven decision-making, requiring companies to analyze user retention and acquisition metrics in detail to optimize their marketing strategies effectively [19]

Here I am playing 33 Immortals on my Steam Deck, a game exclusive to the Epic Games Store on PC. I'm going to show you how to install this other storefront and play that library of games on the go. The Epic Game Store is a great storefront to add to your deck since they offer multiple free games every week and even get some games that Steam doesn't.Let's begin. I'm here in game mode on my Steam Deck, but you'll need to switch over to desktop mode. To do that, go into the Steam menu, down to power, then sele ...

Core Viewpoint - Epic Games has announced that it will not be able to launch the Epic Games Store in the UK this year, and the prospects for the return of Fortnite to iOS in the UK have now become uncertain [1] Group 1 - Epic Games Store launch in the UK is postponed for this year [1] - Uncertainty surrounds the return of Fortnite to iOS in the UK [1]

Group 1 - Epic Games Store has announced a new revenue-sharing model that offers developers an industry-leading split, allowing them to retain 100% of the first $1 million in net revenue per game each year, with a standard 88%/12% split thereafter [1][3] - The new policy will apply to revenues generated from June 1, 2025, to December 31, 2025, and will reset annually starting in 2026 [3] - Compared to Steam's default 30% cut, Epic's model significantly reduces upfront costs for small and medium-sized developers, enabling them to keep all revenue if their game sells 333,000 copies at $30 each [3] Group 2 - Epic has introduced a player rewards mechanism, offering consumers 5% in Epic reward points on digital content purchases, which can be used for future discounts, effectively bypassing high platform fees from Apple and Google [3] - The new Webshop feature allows developers to host and operate their own online stores, customize their storefronts, manage promotions, and engage with their player communities [3] - Analysts suggest that Epic's new policy may trigger a chain reaction in the digital distribution market, increasing competitive pressure on traditional platforms like Steam, which has a higher entry threshold for revenue sharing [4]

Core Viewpoint - Epic Games' Fortnite is unable to submit its iOS version to the App Store due to Apple's restrictions, leading to a global removal of the game until the issue is resolved [1] Group 1 - Epic Games announced that Apple has blocked the submission of Fortnite, preventing its release on the US App Store and the Epic Games Store in the EU [1] - The iOS version of Fortnite will be taken down globally until Apple lifts the restrictions [1]