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Did Apple really resolve its EU dispute? | Week in Mobile Games podcast
Apple’s recent attempt to resolve its regulatory dispute with the European Union regarding the Digital Markets Act remains contentious.
- Apple has updated its App Store business terms in response to EU Digital Markets Act (DMA) scrutiny, setting commission rates at 26% for standard App Store apps, 20% for those using alternative payment processing, and 15% for apps that link out to external payment methods.
- Roblox is facing increased pressure from international regulators, including a three-month mandate from Australian authorities to improve child safety measures after reports that adults could still contact minors on the platform.
- The mobile idle RPG 'Digimon New Century' (referred to as Digimon Up) generated $10 million in player spending across Google Play and the App Store during its first month following its July 15, 2024, launch.
Why EVE Online’s studio bought itself back for $120m - and partnered with Google DeepMind
CCP Games has entered a strategic period of independence following a $120 million management-led buyback from Pearl Abyss.
- CCP Games (now rebranded as Fenris) completed a $120 million buyback from Pearl Abyss to regain independence and pursue a distinct, tech-focused portfolio strategy.
- The studio is collaborating with Google DeepMind to use EVE Online’s complex, player-driven economic and social environment as a training ground for AI agents.
- Fenris is open-sourcing its proprietary 'Carbon' engine and technology platform to encourage third-party development and long-term ecosystem sustainability.
🚨📢 BREAKING NEWS: Applovin Record Revenue, More Layoffs, EvE online sold back
The gaming industry is currently experiencing a period of significant corporate restructuring, marked by record financial performances for some entities and aggressive downsizing for others.
- AppLovin reported record Q1 revenue of $1.84 billion, a 25% year-over-year increase, while Unity posted a $347 million loss despite a 17% revenue increase to $508 million.
- CCP Games is being sold back to its CEO by Pearl Abyss for $120 million, a significant drop from its $425 million valuation in 2018.
- Supercell acquired Metacore, resulting in a 30% workforce reduction at the studio as part of a strategic shift in the merge-game genre.
BITKRAFT Summit 2025 Day 3 - EVE: The Longest Game with Hilmar Petursson (CCP)
The discussion centers on the evolution of EVE Online and the broader landscape of game development, emphasizing the importance of intuition and player-driven agency over rigid, methodical planning.
- CCP Games' 22-year success with EVE Online stems from prioritizing player-driven agency over developer intervention, even when a specific decision to allow in-game fraud resulted in the immediate loss of 500 players.
- The industry's legacy playbooks for distribution and engagement are obsolete due to market saturation and shifting content consumption habits driven by platforms like TikTok.
- Developers should adopt a 'relearn from basics' strategy, utilizing unorthodox value propositions like permissionless server-side modding to capture attention in a crowded market.
Our Most Anticipated Web3 Games
The professional landscape within the gaming industry is undergoing a significant transformation, driven by a shift away from traditional credentials toward public proof of work and niche expertise.
- Web3 gaming development is shifting away from speculative financial mechanics toward high-quality, playable experiences that integrate blockchain technology unobtrusively.
- Industry leaders are prioritizing long-term sustainability and multi-disciplinary team building over short-term gains, moving toward a 'play-fi' model that separates core game loops from monetary incentives.
- Ember Sword, Shrapnel, and the upcoming blockchain title from CCP Games are the primary projects leading the industry's ambition to create immersive, autonomous worlds.
Expansions and Partnerships
Netflix is aggressively scaling its gaming division, aiming to bolster subscriber retention through a pipeline of 146 titles, including 40 releases scheduled for the current year.
- Netflix is scaling its gaming division with 146 titles in development, including 40 releases planned for this year, to improve subscriber retention.
- Immutable and Polygon have partnered to develop ZK-EVM infrastructure, aiming to consolidate Web3 development and challenge established chains like Solana and Avalanche.
- CCP Games secured $40 million to integrate blockchain into EVE Online, though the project faces significant regulatory hurdles and a long development timeline with no release expected before 2030.
Keynote: Discovering the Why: Launching New Games & Features in 2022
The primary objective of this presentation is to advocate for a player-centric development strategy that prioritizes understanding the underlying motivations—the "why"—behind user behavior.
- Development teams should shift from surface-level demographic data to a four-step framework that integrates psychological profiling and ethnographic research to identify the 'why' behind player behavior.
- Voodoo increased day-one retention by 14% in the game Plantopia by identifying and addressing specific underlying player motivations.
- Tilting Point successfully pivoted the design of Linguinis after research revealed that their target audience preferred collaborative gameplay over the initially planned competitive leaderboards.
How PlayRaven is working with CCP and Improbable to create next-gen MMO experiences in mobile
PlayRaven is currently shifting its strategic focus toward developing next-generation mobile massively multiplayer online (MMO) games.
- PlayRaven is pivoting its core strategy to focus exclusively on social, multiplayer-driven mobile MMOs, abandoning the single-player mechanics used in its 2014–2016 titles to improve long-term player engagement.
- The studio is partnering with CCP Games to develop a mobile title set in the EVE Online universe, focusing on complex social coordination and resource management adapted for mobile usability.
- Early pre-alpha testing of the EVE Online mobile project with hardcore fans has already yielded positive engagement metrics, validating the studio's community-driven development approach.
The Benefits and Challenges of Supporting Third-Party Developers in Eve Online
CCP Games maintains a highly successful third-party developer ecosystem for Eve Online by providing open access to static data, image servers, and web APIs.
- CCP Games offloads the development of niche, complex utilities—such as financial tracking and asset management—to the player base to preserve internal resources for core game development.
- The studio maintains control over the third-party ecosystem by retaining the authority to modify or revoke APIs that threaten game balance or facilitate market automation.
- Community-built tools like killboards serve as critical intelligence and marketing assets, often acting as prototypes for future official client features.
A brief history of Iceland's game developers
The Icelandic game development industry has evolved from a resource-dependent economy to a burgeoning technology sector characterized by high technical literacy and early adoption of digital entertainment.
- CCP Games established the viability of the Icelandic gaming industry by proving that local studios could successfully compete on a global scale.
- The 2008 financial crisis caused significant industry stagnation due to the overextension of local banking institutions, forcing a national pivot toward an innovation-led economy.
- The success of Plain Vanilla in the mobile trivia market served as a critical catalyst for restoring industry confidence and fostering a new wave of entrepreneurship.