The Slow Opening of the Mobile Market
The hermetic App Store ecosystems of Apple and Google are slowly opening up, albeit not voluntarily. What is the role of EU regulation and Epic Games in this, and how did it all come about in the first place?
The mobile market is opening up - at least a little, and very slowly, but of course not by choice, as Apple and Google ultimately want to protect their long-established, well-maintained and highly lucrative ecosystems. There are two main reasons for this. On the one hand, the lawsuits filed by Epic Games in the US against Apple and Google for anti-competitive and monopolistic practices. On the other hand, European legislation, namely the Digital Markets and Digital Services Acts (DMA/DSA), which we covered in detail in GamesMarkt 05/24 and online, is also aimed at opening up mobile platforms and app stores to allow more competition under "fairer" conditions.