Editorial
You could almost say that the main part of this issue is about the harmonization of the gaming market in Europe. But actually, two of our three main topics are only indirectly related to this.
When you think of alternative app stores, you don't automatically think of the EU. And yet it is the Digital Services Act that is bringing movement to the market here in Europe, by encouraging the big two gatekeepers Google and Apple, and of course other platforms with a corresponding market position, to allow smaller providers instead of using their combined market power to keep them out of business. That may sound good at first, but as some mobile games publishers have told us, it’s not quite as simple as that. That’s because costs increase with every sales platform that is served. You have to think carefully about which and how many alternative app stores you serve in order to avoid making more sales but less profit in the end.
Another topic where a Europe-wide harmonized approach is indirectly on the agenda is the protection of minors. When politicians and industry representatives gathered in Berlin for the USK’s 30th anniversary, they were naturally pleased that the issue of the protection of minors in games has long since ceased to be a controversial topic in the wake of the “killer game” debate. On the other hand, Germany has been going its own way since then, which prevents the same rules from existing in this country as in every other EU country. For the USK, this “German Way” also means a kind of guarantee of survival, whereby the USK has repeatedly distinguished itself as a pioneer in the field of the protection of minors in the media, from which other institutions could learn.
In the third section, we look ahead to the upcoming seasonal business and in particular at the releases at the end of October and in November. After all, these are the games that will most often end up under the Christmas tree, either physically or virtually, apart from EA Sports FC, of course, which traditionally comes out a little earlier. And with that, I’ll leave you to it and, as always, hope you enjoy the new issue of GamesMarkt.
Stephan Steininger
Content
03 EDITORIAL
06 BIG PICTURE
08 PEOPLE
Heads and headlines that have caused a stir in the games industry in the recent weeks. youth protection
YOUTH PROTECTION
12 AGERATINGS ON STEAM
From 15 Nov. onwards, games without age rating will no longer be available to German customers on Steam. How this came about.
16 30 YEARS OF USK
The games industry and politicians marked the 30th anniversary of the USK. But this harmony was not always a matter of course.
ALTERNATIVE APP STORES
20 MOBILE MARKET IS CHANGING
How the Apple and Google app stores are (slowly) being opened up by EU regulation and litigation.
26 FLEXION INTERVIEW
Jens Lauritzson, CEO of alternative app store provider Flexion Mobile, about
the impact of these new developments.
28 REAL LIFE CASES
HandyGames, Sandbox Interactive and Wooga on alternative app stores and direct-to-consumer approaches.
30 XSOLLA INTERVIEW
For Xsolla, direct-to-consumer is the way to go. An in-depth interview with Christopher Meredith, SVP for the EMEA region.
PRODUCTS
38 UPCOMING GAMES
Just in time for the holiday season, many publishers are releasing their highlights. Here is an overview.
42 FRANCHISE SPOTLIGHT
The two games in the Mario Party series have been huge successes on Switch. Now, it gets even better with Super Mario Party Jamboree.
46 MARIO & LUIGI: BROTHERSHIP
48 DRAGON AGE: THE VEILGUARD
49 CALL OF DUTY: BLACK OPS 6
50 RELEASES ON PC
52 RELEASES ON PLAYSTATION
54 RELEASES ON SWITCH
56 RELEASES ON XBOX
58 IMPRINT
58 EVENTS
Download Issue 466
Subscribers also have access to old print editions of GamesMarkt in PDF format via our magazine archive. Please note that editions published before our language switch in March 2024 are in German.
