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The new injunction placed on Google Play<\/a> in the US this week preventing the tech giant from blocking alternative payments and implementing anti-steering measures can transform the Android games ecosystem, say executives at leading direct-to-consumer firms.<\/p>\n The injunction is the result of the Epic Games vs. Google case and is in effect until November 1st, 2027<\/a>. It follows a ruling in the US earlier this year<\/a> in another case between Epic and Apple in which a judge ruled the App Store must enable linkouts to alternative payment methods.<\/p>\n Both rulings mean publishers can break away from the typical 30% fee from platform holders and use alternative payment systems and their own web stores powered by service providers that typically charge fees of between 5% and 10%.<\/p>\n Inflection point<\/p>\n Speaking to PocketGamer.biz, Stash<\/a> chief growth officer Archie Stonehill<\/a> said Google\u2019s new policy update implementing the court\u2019s decision marks another inflection point for developers – one that goes far beyond just bringing Android up to the same level as iOS in the US.<\/p>\n \u201cThe removal of anti-steering, which enables the same link-out functionality on Android that has been supported on iOS since May, is only a small portion of the policy changes Google has been forced to adopt today,\u201d said Stonehill.<\/p>\n \u201cFar more significant is the complete overturning of Google’s ability to control developers’ payment and distribution choices. Developers are free to use their own native payment methods, and Google is prohibited from banning apps that don’t conform with its desired payment choices.<\/p>\n \u201cThat has two important implications: first, developers who are still worried about iOS App Store policies have nothing to fear on Android because the policy is so unequivocal. Second, this gives developers complete freedom to experiment and make their chosen alternative payment option as immersive and native as they want.<\/p>\n \u201cI fully expect this to transform Android game economics in the US, and to unlock a wave of distribution, product, and business model innovation from games teams, including those who have been cautious up until this point.\u201d<\/p>\n Strong developer-play ties<\/p>\n Xsolla<\/a> president Chris Hewish<\/a> called Google\u2019s forced move a \u201cmajor shift\u201d for mobile developers in the US.<\/p>\n \u201cIt empowers them to channel players into direct checkout flows and deepen their relationships with players via their own web shops,\u201d Hewish told PocketGamer.biz.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cFor the ecosystem as a whole, we\u2019ll likely see more diversified monetisation models, greater experimentation with bundling and subscriptions, and stronger developer-player ties.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cOf course, this freedom comes with new responsibilities around user experience, trust and conversion optimisation, but ultimately it\u2019s a positive move, one that could spark fresh innovation across mobile games.\u201d<\/p>\n Google noted that it will share more details on business model changes \u201cto preserve user trust and safety in the ecosystem\u201d in the near future.<\/p>\n Stonehill said this could be a move by Google to minimise some of the damage done by the court\u2019s injunction.<\/p>\n \u201cThey don\u2019t have that much of a chance to get this ruling reversed so I would imagine this is a preemptive way of diminishing the incentive for developers, perhaps by introducing lower fees,\u201d he stated.<\/p>\n Google previously said it would petition the US Supreme Court to grant a stay against the injunction, but there is currently no news on its progress.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n