“Finally, real evolution in the app store”: The Mobile Mavens weigh in on Google Play changes

• “After decades of the 70/30 status quo… we’re finally seeing real evolution in the industry.” - Louise Wooldridge
• The studios that move fastest won’t be those that scale headcount – they’ll be the ones that identify and recruit these specialists before the demand becomes obvious to everyone.” - Tanja Loktionova
• “While the fee cuts may not look dramatic… even a small change can shift user acquisition campaigns from unprofitable to profitable and allow teams to scale marketing.” - Ilia Ereme

Google recently announced sweeping changes to its Play Store, including lower revenue shares, new developer programmes, and more support for alternative payment systems. 

This also comes as the company settles its long-running dispute with Epic Games, clearing the way for Fortnite's return to the platform. 

With change on the way, we asked our Mobile Mavens what this could mean for the wider mobile games market.

Tanja Loktionova

For developers, these changes are meaningful and their real impact may play out in hiring decisions. Reduced revenue share and alternate payment options could unlock more margin for mid-size studios, and historically, when unit economics improve, studios invest in headcount.

The catch is that capitalising on alternate payment flows requires a specific kind of expertise the games industry hasn’t traditionally prioritised. The closest parallel is growth managers in subscription apps - people who architect web-to-app and web-to-web funnels, optimise billing touchpoints, and own the full payment conversion stack. Games studios will likely need to look at neighbouring niches to find this talent, rather than hiring from within the industry.

The studios that move fastest won’t be those that scale headcount - they’ll be the ones that identify and recruit these specialists before the demand becomes obvious to everyone.

Net positive for the ecosystem, but the winners will be those who hire strategically, not reactively.

Ilia Eremeev

Founder at The Games Fund

Google’s fee reductions will likely have a positive short-term effect on developers. While the fee cuts may not look dramatic, especially when third-party payment processing fees are included, mobile studios often operate with very thin margins. Even a small change can shift user acquisition campaigns from unprofitable to profitable and allow teams to scale marketing.

However, the long-term impact is likely to be more limited. As developers increase spending on user acquisition, competition in ad platforms will likely push costs up again and bring performance metrics back to balance. In that scenario, a large share of the benefit may flow to advertising platforms such as Applovin rather than remaining with developers.

At the same time, the changes may create new competition between alternative app stores and payment processors. To attract developers, these platforms may offer incentives such as lower fees, better revenue splits, or marketing support. This could bring additional benefits for developers, although it also moves the ecosystem away from the clear and simple centralised model that existed before.

Pascal Clarysse

Author “The Slingshot Formula", CEO Big Karma

Overall it is a good update to the economics of the Android ecosystem and it reflects how the mobile market has evolved over the last 15 years, albeit a bit long in the tooth and on the back of a tough fight that Google perhaps could have avoided.

Let's take the good news for developers and publishers, a reduction of platform fees is not to be snubbed. Cheers to this.

Even better news, you can now embark your own extra billing solutions and partners onto your Google Play app, which is really vital in many emerging markets, furthering the access to mobile gaming around the world.

I personally think that this might be the one tiny area where there is still room for improvement. 15% is indeed a lot for Google to take on a transaction processed by external billing solutions, given that those wrappers often add two more intermediates to the margin-sharing: the final payment processor and the aggregator, which is an often necessary piece in this extremely fragmented and work-intensive side of the industry.

Perhaps the best piece of news (and the most blatant and overdue point when it comes to basic fairness) is the fact that you can now download Android apps from sources other than Google Play without users seeing a prompt asking them if they are sure that they want to download this non-verified app, which could be harmful and full of viruses. 

Although it still comes with the caveat that developers must register with Google database first, this (forced) decision still positively affects the direct-to-consumer movement too, which is clearly the mega-trend of the last few years. Garena Free Fire was the pioneer of it in LatAm and South East Asia circa 2018-2020, but now every company with a mobile hit game or portfolio has already caught up or is about to, with the help of AppCharge and the likes.

In such an environment, don't underestimate the powers of seamless, frictionless installs from third-party sources on any Android device at the top of the funnel.

Let's also take the time to applaud Tim Sweeney and Epic Games for their determination, audacity and grit in this fight. A betting man wouldn't have given this outcome high odds at the beginning of the legal battle. Take it from someone who once faced Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo in court: these giant platform-holders tend to be mighty opponents and their legal departments are pretty, pretty good.

Also worth a shoutout are the OGs at Fortumo (now part of Boku), 24Mas/Spoiled Milk, Flexion or Xsolla. Without them putting a positive pressure on the market by building alternative routes to carriers, stores, local debit cards or other exotic payment forms, I'm not sure we would be where we are today. There were the baby steps before the epic leaps.

Now if you'll excuse me, my whatsapp dealer has V-bucks on discount for Fortnite…

Joanne Lacey

Advisor at Mode 7 Collective

After decades of the 70/30 status quo, a model that traces back to the days when mobile network operators ran app stores, we’re finally seeing real evolution in the industry. At PG Connects London earlier this year, there was a noticeable sense of optimism, with a big D2C focus on the showfloor. They were on the money. Literally.

Google’s new fee structure should give developers more flexibility in how they monetise and engage players, creating opportunities for a broader payments ecosystem. Platform economics will inevitably evolve, leading to fairer and more dynamic in-game economies. Studios will have more freedom to reach segmented audiences directly and experiment with new models, building better relationships with players.

Hats off to Epic for pushing the agenda. If and when this gets settled in the US courts, it will be better for players, developers and payment providers, with app store economics finally moving on from legal battles to healthier market competition.

Louise Wooldridge

Research Manager - Games at Ampere Analysis

I think there are positives and negatives to this news. Developer verification will be a new hurdle. All developers, as of September 2026, will have to submit their government ID and pay Google a fee to develop apps for Android. Whilst this may help reduce malware, it means less privacy for developers who will be forced to share a lot of personal information.

Plus it might make things harder for very small developers, who will have to jump through the same hoops as big businesses in order to create and distribute their apps. It's just adding a new layer of bureaucracy. 

Of course any reduction in fees is a win for developers – even though it’s not a huge drop, and it is a bit more complicated than a flat 10% reduction. The hope is that this will have a knock-on effect on other companies like Apple, and even Valve/Steam, and there will certainly be increased pressure on them.

Developers may now prioritise Android systems and push users towards Android subscriptions. Freedom to use other payment systems is also, on paper, good for developers, as it will give them more control over customers and pricing, and access to multiple app stores means more competition, which could translate to lower feels, better deals, and broader marketing opportunities.

However, more fragmentation means developers may have to manage multiple distribution channels, which could prove resource-heavy – in terms of both time and money.

There is a slightly increased risk of piracy and other scams on alternative app stores which will need to be carefully navigated. Plus, Google still has significant power within the ecosystem – developers will probably still rely on Google Play Services APIs and Google device compatibility, for example.

Ultimately, it’s unfortunate that it took a lawsuit to trigger this action.

John Wright

CEO Turborilla

It’s a move in the right direction where developers will openly benefit from; however, it’s not enough to dispose D2C companies and the wave of developers integrating them as a strategy. It’s a “too little, too late” scenario in my opinion.

Stuart De Ville

Director at Fribbly Games

From an indie developer’s perspective, changes to platform policy are always significant because they shape the environment in which studios operate long before we even start building a game. Moves like reducing revenue share and allowing alternative payment methods are clearly aimed at addressing long-standing criticism around platform control and developer margins. 

On the surface, anything that gives developers more flexibility and potentially improves their economics is a positive step.

That said, the reality for most indies is that platform ecosystems are about more than just revenue splits. Discoverability, platform tooling, marketing support, and trust in the distribution channel often matter just as much as a few percentage points on payments.

If these changes lead to a more open and competitive ecosystem while maintaining stability and visibility for developers, they could be very healthy for the market.

The return of Fortnite to the Play Store also feels symbolic. The dispute between Epic and the major mobile platforms became a focal point for wider debates around digital marketplaces, developer rights, and platform power. Seeing those tensions move toward resolution suggests the industry is slowly recalibrating its relationship between platforms and creators.

Ultimately, the opportunity here is increased flexibility for developers, but the challenge will be maintaining clarity and simplicity. If the ecosystem becomes fragmented with multiple payment systems, policies, and technical requirements, smaller studios may find the operational overhead harder to navigate. 

The best outcome would be a more open system that still keeps the path to shipping and sustaining games straightforward for developers of all sizes.

Peter Fodor

Founder at AppAgent

Google’s recent Play Store changes could have a meaningful impact on mobile game economics, but the real shift goes beyond the headline about lower fees.

What’s emerging is a new reality where developers can optimize their entire monetization stack. By combining reduced Play fees, web purchase funnels, and programs like Apps Experience or Games Level Up, the effective platform cost can move closer to the 15 - 20% range instead of the traditional 30%.

From a growth perspective, even small improvements here can have an outsized effect. For example, imagine a title with a CPI of $6 and a D365 LTV of $4 after platform fees. If platform costs drop from 30% to around 20%, the net LTV moves to roughly $4.57. At 15%, it approaches $4.86. That’s close to a 20% improvement in LTV.

At scale, an extra $0.50 to $0.80 per user can materially change UA decision making. Suddenly higher CPI bids become viable, campaigns can scale more aggressively, and payback windows shorten.

We’re already exploring these scenarios with our gaming clients. The opportunity is real, but it also introduces complexity, because developers will need to rethink their monetisation and acquisition strategies to fully capture the upside.