PocketGamer.biz reports that the Ninth Circuit has reversed their initial granting of the stay, instead now granting Epic’s motion for reconsideration on the stay. The article goes on to quote Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney stating that “Apple’s delaying tactics have come to an end.”

Now the case will return to U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers for additional determinations regarding Apple’s fees.

The original ruling was released on April 30, 2025, with Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers declaring that Apple’s anti-steering policies for purchases outside of apps are anticompetitive and to be discontinued. That was to be effective immediately at the time the ruling was released, but various requests and appeals from Apple have affected the ruling’s application. A request by Apple for stay was initially denied in June 2025, but PocketGamer.biz reports that the court had temporarily paused the ruling early this month. Epic challenged the pause, which resulted in this new reversal and the court stating that Apple had not sufficiently shown how the original ruling would cause them irreparable harm.

The original ruling can be read as linked from the PocketGamer.biz article linked above. 

About FastSpring

FastSpring is how gaming studios and mobile app makers sell in more places around the world. For over two decades, FastSpring has been a payment provider you can use to sell apps, games, or in-game items on your website, web shop, or embedded directly into your app with fully customizable and branded checkouts just for you. FastSpring allows you to offload the complexity of global payments, sales tax and VAT compliance, player payments support, and many other aspects of payments management. Spend less time managing your payments and compliance and more time making great apps! 

Learn more about FastSpring for mobile apps or FastSpring for games. 

The post News: Apple Loses Stay Against Mandate in Epic Case appeared first on FastSpring.

The settlement is yet to be approved, but the revisions include a breaking out of Play Store fees into two categories: service fees, and billing fees. 

What Are the New Fees Google Is Proposing?

Previously, the 30% fee contained what is now known as the service fee and the billing fee. With this announcement, Google is splitting that in two.

The service fee will be 20% for purchases made on existing installs, 15% for new installs, and 10% for recurring subscriptions.

The billing fee is 5% for processing payments through Google Play’s billing system.

This means that for the vast majority of transactions (i.e., existing games that process in-app payments through Google Play), the fee is 25%, only 5% less than the previous 30% single fee.

Note that the above fee calculations apply to earnings after the first 1M; the service fee on the first 1M is only 10%, adding up to 15% if the 5% billing fee is added. Please refer to the Google announcement linked above for clarification on the various fees and how they add up.

Why Is Google Proposing Two Separate Kinds of Fees?

In the U.S., the separate fees appear to be in service of Google’s intention to allow developers to offer their own billing systems, with the Standard service fees being charged regardless of billing method, and then the Google Play BIlling Fee charged additionally for using Google Play Billing. 

When Will the Google Play Store Fee Revisions Take Effect?

Per Google’s announcement, these fee changes are being rolled out on a staggered schedule, first hitting the EEA, UK, and U.S. by June 30. 

Then the changes will hit Australia by Sep. 30, Korea and Japan by Dec. 31, and the rest of the world by Sep. 30 of 2027.

Where Can You Learn More About the Proposed Google Play Store Fee Changes?

Additional fee breakout details and terms can be found in the Google post linked above. Additionally, The Verge has published a redlined version of the five-page court document outlining Google’s and Epic’s proposed changes, as well as the full 15-page court filings (with redactions).

FastSpring has been covering cases such as this one since 2021. To read up on the history of the Google vs. Epic cases (and other global cases and regulations regarding mobile app and games monetization), check out FastSpring’s Industry News archive.

About FastSpring

FastSpring is how gaming studios and mobile app makers sell in more places around the world. For over two decades, FastSpring has been a payment provider you can use to sell apps, games, or in-game items on your website, web shop, or embedded directly into your app with fully customizable and branded checkouts just for you. FastSpring allows you to offload the complexity of global payments, sales tax and VAT compliance, player payments support, and many other aspects of payments management. Spend less time managing your payments and compliance and more time making great apps! 

Learn more about FastSpring for mobile apps or FastSpring for games. 

The post Google Revises Play Store Fees to Give Publishers a Minuscule 5% Discount appeared first on FastSpring.

In particular, they discuss how steering is still allowed in the U.S., and there are no fees (for now). But that window is closing.

Just a few of the other highlights of their discussion include: 

• Japan’s 15%-20% platform fees.
• Brazil joining the party.
• Apple’s 7-day attribution window.
• Google’s 24-hour window.
• Why this might actually increase D2C adoption.
• How to treat web shops like ecommerce brands.
• Why hybrid monetization is the real play.

And so much more!

Listen to or Watch the Full Episode

Watch below or find the podcast on your favorite podcast service:

About Chip Thurston

Chip Thurston is the Head of Gaming at FastSpring. He leverages over a decade of gaming industry experience to help FastSpring’s game publishers define a best-in-class strategy to monetize and market their games direct to consumer.

About FastSpring

FastSpring is how gaming publishers sell in more places around the world. For over two decades, FastSpring has been a trusted payment provider you can use to sell games or in-game items on your website, web shop, or embedded directly into your game with fully customizable and branded checkouts just for you. FastSpring allows you to offload the complexity of global payments, sales tax and VAT compliance, player payments support, and many other aspects of payments management. Spend less time managing your payments and compliance and more time making great games! To learn more about how FastSpring supports game developers, visit fastspring.gg.

The post D2C Trends With Chip Thurston on the two & a half gamers Podcast appeared first on FastSpring.

What Is the Mobile Software Competition Act (MSCA) and When Does It Go Into Effect?

The Mobile Software Competition Act (MSCA) goes into effect on December 18, 2025 and will, among other things, require companies such as Apple and Google to allow third-party payment systems and third-party app stores within their mobile ecosystems.

Is Japan’s MSCA Similar to What Other Countries and Unions Are Doing?

Many countries around the world are enacting similar regulations and laws around mobile steering for payments — also referred to as D2C (direct to consumer) or app2web — including the EU, Brazil, and the U.S. (there are separate ongoing legal cases involving Google and Apple).

However, the MSCA in Japan is unique for a couple of reasons:

• It will affect both Android and iOS, not distinguishing between the platforms.
• It addresses native payments, or payments directly inside the game processed by a third party such as FastSpring.

Since this is the first ruling impactfully addressing native payments, this is an area we’ll be monitoring closely.

What Platforms Will Be Affected by the MSCA?

This act will affect any platforms that the act qualifies as “designated providers,” which we can safely assume includes the Apple App Store and the Google Play Store.

What Other Changes Does the MSCA Include?

Steering is only one of many changes that will be enforced when the MSCA takes effect in Japan in December. To read more about how the act unlocks alternative app stores, requires greater transparency in the platforms’ app review process, and ultimately represents a targeted effort to enable fair and open digital markets, you can find the “tentative translation” English version of the guidelines as published by the JFTC here. 

Related Reading

• Japan Releases ‘Mobile Software Competition Act Guidelines’ Targeting Apple and Google (August 2025)
• Japan Enacts Regulatory Law Targeting Apple and Google Smartphone Marketplace Dominance (June 2024)

About FastSpring

FastSpring is how gaming studios and mobile app makers sell in more places around the world. For nearly two decades, FastSpring has been a payment provider you can use to sell apps, games, or in-game items on your website, web shop, or embedded directly into your app with fully customizable and branded checkouts just for you. FastSpring allows you to offload the complexity of global payments, sales tax and VAT compliance, player payments support, and many other aspects of payments management. Spend less time managing your payments and compliance and more time making great apps!

The post News: Japan’s Mobile Software Competition Act Opens Up Steering This Month appeared first on FastSpring.

We are honored to receive the Golden Sail Award for Outstanding Global Expansion Ecosystem Service, further solidifying our reputation as a trusted growth partner for Chinese and APAC companies going global.

FastSpring’s Senior Account Executive Jay Jia was present to receive the award for FastSpring, accompanied by Account Executive Leo Ng and Sales Development Representative for APAC Jeslyn Ong. 

Jay received FastSpring’s Golden Sail Award for Outstanding Global Expansion Ecosystem Service.

Jeslyn, Leo, and Jay in the FastSpring booth, excited about our award!

Related: Are you an APAC mobile app developer wanting to take your app global? Learn more about the many things that entails — and what FastSpring can handle for you — in 5 Moves for Mobile App Makers in APAC to Maximize Revenue.

About the GICC Golden Sail Awards

The GICC is one of China’s most recognized global business summits, held annually in Beijing. This year, the event drew over 160,000 professionals and 3,000 leading enterprises from industries such as technology, SaaS, ecommerce, and digital services.

The event’s awards celebrate outstanding companies driving innovation, globalization, and cross-border business growth, highlighting those contributing to China’s global digital transformation and “going global” success stories.

Other award categories include Outstanding Global Expansion Brands, Outstanding Cross-border Technology Solutions, Outstanding Global Expansion Ecosystem Services, Outstanding Cross-border Marketing and Operations, Outstanding Global Expansion Potential, and more.

Partner With FastSpring for Global Growth

If you’re looking for a merchant of record that will partner with you to grow your business internationally, FastSpring can help. 

We provide an all-in-one payment platform for SaaS, software, video games, mobile apps, AI, eLearning, and other digital goods, including VAT and sales tax management, payment localization, and consumer support. 

Set up a demo or try it out for yourself.

To view our homepage in simplified Chinese, click here.
若想浏览 FastSpring 中文官网，请点击此处。

To sign up for a personalized demo using a form in simplified Chinese, click here.
若希望使用中文提交表单并预约产品演示，请点击此处。

The post FastSpring Wins GICC 2025 Golden Sail Award for Outstanding Global Expansion Ecosystem Service appeared first on FastSpring.

And as our annual SaaS and software benchmarking data report has shown across the last few years, the shopping spike doesn’t just apply to physical goods like clothing, jewelry, toys, or electronics. 

End-of-year budget spending certainly contributes to this effect too.

Is your SaaS or software business ready to take advantage of the B2B and B2C spending sprees? 

FastSpring is a merchant of record for over 3500 companies that use our platform daily. By analyzing years’ worth of aggregate sales data, we have helpful insights to share about Q4 sales spikes for software and SaaS businesses.

Below, we share this year’s insights into:

• The latest U.S. trends in year-end SaaS and software sales data.
• The latest global trends in year-end SaaS and software sales data.
• How FastSpring can help you best capitalize on Q4 sales spikes.

FastSpring is a merchant of record that can help you easily grow your business internationally. We provide an all-in-one payment platform for SaaS, software, video game, and other digital product businesses, including VAT and sales tax management, payment localization, and award-winning consumer support. Set up a demo or try it out for yourself.

Our Data Sources and Analysis Methodology

Where the Data Are From

FastSpring helps companies sell digital products in over 200 countries, but to help us keep this study consistent and repeatable, we’ve pulled sales data from eight countries around the world. 

Each year, we include the U.S., Canada, Germany, Great Britain, India, Brazil, Australia, and China.

This data are specific to where the sales took place, not where the companies are located.

To show a glimpse into one specific country that’s also a large, often-targeted SaaS and software market, we also show the same trends for just the United States.

When the Data Are From

To highlight useful trend data while avoiding any major outliers skewing the data, we use aggregated data for the most current five calendar years. The data below represent sales across 2020-2024.

We also use a seasonal index to show quarterly or monthly sales against a year’s monthly or quarterly average (read more about that in the How section below).

What We Measured

FastSpring supports the sales of a vast array of digital products, including SaaS, software, video games, mobile apps, AI, and eLearning. 

To narrow this report to a specific type of industry, we’ve excluded everything but software and SaaS.

We also used U.S. dollars as the currency for all figures to make comparison easy and clear. 

How We Measured It

To establish a baseline, we calculated monthly and quarterly averages for each year. 

For a very simplified example, if four quarterly totals were $200, $200, $100, and $300, the quarterly average for the year would be $200. 

Then once we had the period average for the year, we compared each period’s actuals to that period average to get a percentage.

So for example, if Q3 shows a percentage of 90%, it means the sales total that quarter was 10% lower than the year’s quarterly average. If Q4 shows a percentage of 111%, that means Q4 sales totals were 11% higher than the year’s quarterly average. 

We then combined that data across five years to get the five year averages and avoid any outliers causing a sharp spike that might have skewed the results too much. 

US Year-End Trends for SaaS and Software Purchases

The following data show the monthly and yearly averages for U.S. software and SaaS sales across the last five years.

5YR Average US SaaS and Software Sales by Month

In the U.S., the three highest monthly spikes of SaaS and software sales are in March (104%), December (105%), and as expected, November (112%).

5YR Average US SaaS and Software Sales by Quarter

Similarly, Q4 is the highest-performing quarter for software and SaaS sales at 106%, with Q1 at 99%, Q2 at 97%, and Q3 at 98%.

Global Year-End Trends for SaaS and Software Purchases

Global trends show even stronger spikes in November and Q4, thanks to particularly strong sales in China and Germany (more on that below). 

5YR Average Global SaaS and Software Sales by Month

Just like in the U.S., global sales of software and SaaS spiked slightly to 104% in March and 105% in December. 

But as expected, the spike in November was higher than just in the U.S., at 118% globally.

While Black Friday and Cyber Week have traditionally been anchored to the Thanksgiving holiday in the U.S., seasonal sales surges have caught on worldwide, perhaps thanks to other countries such as Germany observing Black Friday and Cyber Monday (or even an entire Cyber Week), and China observing Singles Day on November 11 (11.11). 

5YR Average Global SaaS and Software Sales by Quarter

Quarterly sales reflect a slightly smaller spike over the shopping holiday season when Oct.-Nov.-Dec. are averaged together, but the spike is still significant at 8%.

Because the quarterly spike isn’t as high as the single spike in November, it reinforces that software and SaaS companies should focus their marketing and sales efforts specifically in November to get the best return and see the most growth. 

5YR Average SaaS and Software Sales by Month per Country

To illustrate the changes in various countries (and give you an idea of which countries may be most worth targeting), we’ve also broken out the monthly data by country for the eight countries we included in this survey. 

Here’s what monthly software and SaaS sales fluctuations look like with five years of data for the United States (US), Canada (CA), Germany (DE), Great Britain (GB), India (IN), Brazil (BR), Australia (AU), and China (CN).

We mentioned the China and Germany shopping holidays in November above, but China also sees spikes in April and June, likely due to the 418 (April 18) and 618 (June 18) shopping holidays.

Regardless of other monthly spikes throughout the year, November is still the single highest spike for any of the eight countries we included — ranging from 112% in the U.S. and 117% in India on the low end, to 148% in Germany and 149% in China on the high end.

SaaS and software companies can capitalize on this trend with:

• Email promotions.
• Custom partner coupon codes (which they can help you promote).
• Social media campaigns.
• Upsell or bundle offers.
• Localized promotions that would especially appeal to customers in each of your targeted regions.
• A merchant of record partner for online payments that can help you easily sell your software or SaaS worldwide.

How FastSpring Can Help

Software companies that already use FastSpring know why we’re a trusted partner in the global payments space. (Check out what Avid and Stardock have to say about the great experiences they’ve had with FastSpring, or find more FastSpring customer stories here.)

But if you’re new to FastSpring (or to the merchant of record model), here are some of the reasons our customers love using FastSpring to sell their software around the world.

FastSpring Makes Global Payments Easy for You and Your Customers

Payments Localization

Making your product available for purchase in more countries is only part of taking a software business global. 

You also have to make it very easy for users to make the purchase, with the least hesitation possible.

That requires presenting a localized checkout experience — including automatic conversions to local languages and currencies, offering dozens of the most popular payment methods (which vary by region), intelligent payment routing to regional payment gateways (to help reduce failed payments), and more.

To support improved payment localization, we work closely with our customers and payment partners to understand which payment methods are the most valuable in different regions and industries across the globe. 

This has materialized in the release of UPI in India and Pix in Brazil throughout 2025. 

By the end of October 2025, we plan to improve our Pix capabilities with support for recurring payments on subscription purchases. We’re also excited to add Toss payments in South Korea, providing additional support beyond Kakao Pay in the region.

Custom Discounts, Offers, and Coupons

When you’re running campaigns for Cyber Weekend or other regional holidays, you’ll need a partner who can support customizable offers and coupons. 

This includes the ability to:

• Offer percentage discounts on individual items.
• Preapply coupons via custom links.
• Stack multiple coupons.

FastSpring already supports all of those today, but now, we’re adding the ability to apply discounts at the order level to add even more flexibility on promotional planning. Instead of offering discounts on a per-item basis, you can now apply the discount to the entire order — which translates into clearer promotions for your customers, and ultimately, more completed orders. This feature is set to launch by the end of October, with plenty of time for Cyber Weekend prep.

Robust At-a-Glance Reporting

Once you’ve launched your Cyber Weekend campaigns, you’ll need to monitor their success throughout the course of the promotional holidays. 

With FastSpring, you get access to our Welcome Dashboard, which provides an instant view of the health of your business and campaigns. This dashboard shows key metrics such as net sales, orders, subscriptions, and chargebacks — without the need for extra navigation. That makes it easy to understand at a glance how your campaigns are performing.

If you need to dig deeper, you can simply click into an individual dashboard to dig into more specifics around individual products, chargeback rates, churn rates, and even revenue recognition for the future.

With the wide variety of reports available, you won’t have to wonder how your campaigns are performing. Instead, you can glean clear insights into your campaign’s successes or make tweaks to your campaigns if something is trending in the wrong direction.

FastSpring has localized payments, flexible discounts, and visual reporting covered. Learn more about FastSpring’s global payments.

FastSpring Calculates, Collects, and Remits Global Taxes so You Don’t Have To

FastSpring doesn’t just facilitate payments — we’re a merchant of record, which means we become the entity actually selling the digital products.

That also means that we’re the ones who handle sales taxes and VAT. 

FastSpring’s team of experts stays current on global tax regulations so we can calculate, collect, and remit those taxes — so you don’t need to worry about it. 

Learn more about FastSpring’s global tax management. 

FastSpring Has World-Class Support for You and Your Users

FastSpring’s award-winning support team is standing by and ready to help both the companies that use FastSpring as their merchant of record, and the customers who purchase software, SaaS, and other digital products.

For consumer support, customers can submit an online request and get personalized assistance. FastSpring also provides a helpful list of support topics for consumers to browse, including Licenses and Downloads, Checkout and Purchasing, and more.

For software companies using FastSpring as their MoR, you can submit a request from within the FastSpring app, or simply visit our support page.

Read more about our Stevie® award for Front-Line Customer Service Team, our Globee® award for Customer Excellence in the “Achievement in Team Customer Success” category, or submit a seller or consumer support request.

Partner With FastSpring

For over 20 years, FastSpring has been a trusted payment provider that can help you easily grow your business internationally. As a merchant of record, we provide an all-in-one payment platform that includes VAT and sales tax management, payment localization, award-winning consumer support, and more — making us an excellent partner for SaaS, software, video games, mobile apps, AI, eLearning, and other digital goods businesses. 

Set up a demo or try it out for yourself.

The post Cyber Weekend Benchmarking Data: 2025 SaaS and Software Holiday Spend Report appeared first on FastSpring.

AP News reports that the Court delivered a one-sentence decision rebuffing Google’s request on Monday. 

This was after a December 2023 jury verdict declaring the Play Store an illegal monopoly, and a subsequent order in October 2024 by a U.S. District Judge telling Google to open the Play Store to alternative options. 

AP News goes on to report that Google was seeking the delay during a “last-ditch attempt to overturn the December 2023 jury verdict, and that Google has issued a statement saying that the company will continue fighting the order. The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals had already rejected Google’s attempt to overturn the monopoly verdict and subsequent order. 

Reporting from Reuters clarifies that parts of the 2024 injunction requiring Google to open the Play Store up to rival app stores within its Play Store do not take effect until July 2026 — but the part forcing Google to allow developers to use external links in their apps to bypass Google’s billing is the part due to take effect later this month.

Related Articles

• Latest Epic Win in Epic vs. Google Means Major Changes Ahead for Android App Developers (August 2025)
• Apple’s Court Loss Is a Win for Mobile Game Developers — What It Means for You (May 2025)
• European Commission Fines Apple €500 Million for Preventing Steering From App Store to Other Offers (April 2025)
• Brazil Joins Growing List of Countries Calling for Apple to Allow Steering to Payments Options Outside App Store (November 2024)
• Find more related industry news on our blog.

​​About FastSpring

FastSpring is how gaming publishers sell in more places around the world. For over two decades, FastSpring has been a trusted payment provider you can use to sell games or in-game items on your website, web shop, or embedded directly into your game with fully customizable and branded checkouts just for you. FastSpring allows you to offload the complexity of global payments, sales tax and VAT compliance, player payments support, and many other aspects of payments management. Spend less time managing your payments and compliance and more time making great games! To learn more about how FastSpring supports game developers, visit fastspring.gg.

The post News: US Supreme Court Denies Google’s Request to Delay Play Store Changes appeared first on FastSpring.

One key takeaway: steering is no longer a theoretical concept — it’s already driving measurable revenue shifts. Publishers can now guide players from in-game offers to web stores, where they receive better value while studios keep more revenue. Even simple banners pointing to a web shop have been enough to move significant player spend off-platform.

Chip also previewed SteerSafe by FastSpring, a new solution designed to make this process seamless. Players can tap on an in-game item, complete checkout in seconds on the web, and return directly to the game — all while publishers benefit from secure, compliant transactions.

The momentum behind direct-to-consumer is clear. A recent FastSpring survey of over 100 senior gaming executives found that 57% already operate a web store, and of those who don’t, 60% plan to launch one within the next year

To read more key highlights from Chip’s interview or find more episodes, visit 2.5 Gamer’s channel.

Listen to or Watch the Full Episode

Below, check out Chip’s episode of the Player Driven podcast via YouTube, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify.

About Chip Thurston

Chip Thurston is the Head of Gaming at FastSpring. He leverages over a decade of gaming industry experience to help FastSpring’s game publishers define a best-in-class strategy to monetize and market their games direct to consumer.

About FastSpring

FastSpring is how gaming publishers sell in more places around the world. For over two decades, FastSpring has been a trusted payment provider you can use to sell games or in-game items on your website, web shop, or embedded directly into your game with fully customizable and branded checkouts just for you. FastSpring allows you to offload the complexity of global payments, sales tax and VAT compliance, player payments support, and many other aspects of payments management. Spend less time managing your payments and compliance and more time making great games! To learn more about how FastSpring supports game developers, visit fastspring.gg.

The post Steering, Web Stores, and the Future of Game Payments, on the 2.5 Gamers Podcast appeared first on FastSpring.

According to reporting from 9to5Mac, the Mobile Software Competition Act Guidelines will go into effect on Dec. 18, 2025 and force companies such as Apple and Google to stop favoring their own apps over other third-party competitors. 

The English-language “tentative translation” version of the guidelines, released officially by the JFTC and linked from the same 9to5 Mac article, does not appear to refer to Apple or Google by name, instead referring to applicable entities as “designated providers.”

9to5Mac also points out that the requirements in the guidelines include providers like Apple and Google needing to establish firewalls preventing them from accessing sensitive developer data, and requiring them to submit yearly compliance reports.

FastSpring previously covered earlier developments in Japan’s actions to curb mobile app gatekeeping, per which fines of 20%-30% may be levied on revenues gained from services in breach of the 2024 regulatory law.

Related Articles

• Latest Epic Win in Epic vs. Google Means Major Changes Ahead for Android App Developers (August 2025)
• Apple’s Court Loss Is a Win for Mobile Game Developers — What It Means for You (May 2025)
• European Commission Fines Apple €500 Million for Preventing Steering From App Store to Other Offers (April 2025)
• Brazil Joins Growing List of Countries Calling for Apple to Allow Steering to Payments Options Outside App Store (November 2024)
• Judge Issues Injunction With Details of How Google Must Open Up Android App Store to Competition in US (October 2024)
• Japan Enacts Regulatory Law Targeting Apple and Google Smartphone Marketplace Dominance (June 2024)
• Find more related industry news on our blog.

About FastSpring

FastSpring is how gaming publishers sell in more places around the world. For nearly two decades, FastSpring has been a trusted payment provider you can use to sell games or in-game items on your website, web shop, or embedded directly into your game with fully customizable and branded checkouts just for you. FastSpring allows you to offload the complexity of global payments, sales tax and VAT compliance, player payments support, and many other aspects of payments management. Spend less time managing your payments and compliance and more time making great games! To learn more about how FastSpring supports game developers, visit fastspring.gg.

The post News: Japan Releases ‘Mobile Software Competition Act Guidelines’ Targeting Apple and Google appeared first on FastSpring.

The ruling is poised to transform the Android app marketplace by apparently loosening Google’s control over how developers distribute apps and accept payments.

As reported by The Verge, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals not only confirmed the lower court’s decision, but also lifted the stay on the injunction that requires Google to:

• Allow third-party app stores within the Google Play Store itself.
• Permit developers to use payment processing methods other than Google Play Billing.
• Open access for rival app stores to host and distribute existing Play Store apps.

You can read the full ruling here.

Epic Games followed up with its plans to launch its own Epic Games Store on Android.

Google’s Response to the Appeal Decision

In a follow-up piece by The Verge, it’s reported that Google has only 14 days to implement the relevant changes that would bring them into compliance with the decision. The changes include Google no longer being able to require app developers to use Google Play Billing, among others.

In response, Google has filed for an emergency stay to pause the 14-day deadline on the changes. The entire emergency stay request from Google can be found in The Verge’s follow-up piece. 

The Broader Impact on the App Economy

This ruling mirrors a similar high-profile case involving Apple earlier this year. FastSpring previously covered how Apple’s defeat in court forced the tech giant to permit “steering,” allowing developers to guide users toward alternative payment options outside the App Store.

Both rulings signify a clear trend: Major app platforms are being forced to loosen restrictions, empowering developers with more freedom and control over their revenue streams and customer relationships. As a result, mobile game developers, SaaS providers, and other digital businesses can now:

• Reduce costs associated with platform fees.
• Establish direct relationships with their customers.
• Gain flexibility in how they manage transactions and user experience.

Strategic Opportunities for Developers

Many developers may choose to act quickly to capitalize on these changes. The rulings enable developers to explore alternative solutions such as direct-to-consumer (D2C) storefronts, which can increase margins, enhance user loyalty, and drive growth in new markets. The era of strict platform gatekeeping is fading, replaced by a more open ecosystem where developers have greater autonomy and opportunities for differentiation.

How FastSpring Can Help

FastSpring is uniquely positioned to support both game and mobile app developers as they take their next steps in D2C monetization. Whether it’s getting a web store off the ground or offering web subscriptions, FastSpring lets developers set up secure and seamless checkouts, manage global payments, take on complex tax compliance, and offer localized payment methods and currencies to users worldwide.

Interested? Learn more at fastspring.gg.

The post Latest Epic Win in Epic vs. Google Means Major Changes Ahead for Android App Developers appeared first on FastSpring.

Before diving into ChinaJoy, we’ll also be making a stop at Pocket Gamer Connects Summit Shanghai on July 30, where our Head of Gaming Chip Thurston will join the panel How Different Are UA & Monetisation Strategies In Eastern And Western Markets? This session promises to deliver valuable insights on what monetization and user acquisition methods work in Western and Eastern markets. Do IAPs and ads work in both regions? Does rewarded UA work in the East as well as it does in the West? What UA methods can either region learn from each other? Join us before ChinaJoy to hear directly from this panel of experts! 

ChinaJoy 2025 promises to be an extraordinary showcase of innovation in online gaming and digital entertainment, featuring new game releases, cutting-edge product demonstrations, and dynamic networking opportunities. The event attracts industry titans, business elites, and technical experts from around the globe, making it the perfect venue for FastSpring to demonstrate how our payment solutions can help game developers unlock their full potential in international markets. 

Visit FastSpring at Booth W4-A792 on Aug. 1-3 in the B2B Hall, where our team will showcase how we empower game studios to seamlessly expand into global markets. Whether you’re looking to monetize through direct-to-consumer (D2C) channels, navigate complex international tax compliance, or implement localized payment methods across different regions, FastSpring provides the comprehensive merchant of record services that let you focus on creating amazing games while we handle the complexities of worldwide commerce.

The timing couldn’t be better for game developers looking to capitalize on global growth opportunities. As the gaming industry continues to evolve with live service models and D2C strategies becoming increasingly important, having the right payment infrastructure is crucial for success. FastSpring’s presence at ChinaJoy underscores our commitment to helping studios of all sizes — from emerging indie developers to established publishers — navigate the intricate landscape of global game monetization.

ChinaJoy 2025 will also feature parallel events including the China International Digital Entertainment Industry Conference (CDEC) and the China Game Developers Conference (CGDC), creating multiple touchpoints for meaningful industry discussions. Additionally, the inaugural Shanghai International Animation Month will provide even more opportunities for creative collaboration and business development across the broader entertainment ecosystem.

Where to Get Tickets

Still need tickets? Head over to the registration page to grab your ticket and get access to incredible speakers, unparalleled networking opportunities, and a networking app that will maximize your experience even more.

How to Connect With FastSpring

We invite all summit attendees to join us for Chip Thurston’s panel and connect with our team throughout the week in Shanghai. Whether you’re looking to optimize your current monetization strategy or exploring new ways to engage with your player community, FastSpring offers the expertise and solutions to help you succeed in today’s competitive gaming market. Schedule a demo now or at any time in Shanghai in person.

Don’t miss this opportunity to connect with FastSpring at one of Asia’s most influential gaming events. Visit us at Booth W4-A792 in the B2B Hall from Aug. 1-3 to discover how we can help your game studio achieve global success. Whether you’re already operating internationally or just beginning to explore overseas markets, our team is ready to provide the insights and solutions you need to thrive in today’s competitive gaming landscape.

FastSpring is how gaming publishers sell in more places around the world. For two decades, FastSpring has been a trusted payment provider you can use to sell games or in-game items on your website, web shop, or embedded directly into your game with fully customizable and branded checkouts just for you. FastSpring allows you to offload the complexity of global payments, sales tax and VAT compliance, player payments support, and many other aspects of payments management. Spend less time managing your payments and compliance and more time making great games! To learn more about how FastSpring supports game developers, visit fastspring.gg/.

The post FastSpring Heads to ChinaJoy 2025: Your Gateway to Global Gaming Success in Shanghai appeared first on FastSpring.

Your potential customers are no longer just Googling “best project management software” or “CRM for small business.” They’re asking ChatGPT to compare your product features, getting personalized recommendations from AI tools, and discovering solutions through conversations rather than traditional search results.

Google still handles more than 5 trillion searches annually, but that dominance is beginning to fray. As highlighted by recent industry research from Pubcon 2025, we’re experiencing a foundational shift: Search is no longer synonymous with search engines. From ChatGPT to social platforms, potential customers are finding software solutions outside of Google — and AI is accelerating this trend.

According to recent survey data, 66% of consumers believe AI will replace traditional search engines within five years, and 82% say AI-powered search is already more helpful than traditional search. 

This shift represents both a challenge and an opportunity for SaaS companies trying to reach customers earlier in their decision-making process.

How AI Search Changes SaaS Discovery

AI search doesn’t behave like traditional search engines, and this has significant implications for how customers discover and evaluate software solutions.

As industry expert Ryan Jones of Razorfish noted, “We used to optimize for humans who use Google. Now we’re optimizing for AI that reads Google for humans.” For SaaS companies, this shift changes everything about customer acquisition.

1. AI Search Provides Direct Answers

Tools like ChatGPT and Gemini synthesize information about your software directly in their interfaces. When someone asks, “What’s the best email marketing platform for ecommerce?,” they often get a comprehensive answer without ever visiting your website. 

Your product pages are no longer the destination — the conversation is the destination.

2. AI Uses ‘Query Fan-Out’ for Software Recommendations

When potential customers ask AI tools about software solutions, these tools don’t just process the exact query. Instead, they generate dozens of related sub-queries to gather comprehensive information about features, pricing, integrations, and use cases. 

This means that your content needs to address not just primary keywords, but the entire ecosystem of questions around your product category.

3. Product Information Is Atomized

AI doesn’t treat your website as a collection of pages. Instead, it ingests and references specific passages about features, pricing, integrations, and benefits. 

Every piece of content on your site — from feature descriptions to help articles — must be self-contained and structured for AI comprehension.

“We used to optimize for humans who use Google. Now we’re optimizing for AI that reads Google for humans.”

Ryan Jones, Razorfish

What This Means for SaaS Marketers

The ground is shifting rapidly, but SaaS companies can take specific actions now to maintain visibility and capture customers in this new landscape:

1. Optimize for AI-Driven Product Discovery

Traditional SEO still matters, but SaaS companies need to think beyond basic optimization. Your technical foundation — site speed, structured data, clean internal linking — remains crucial. But success now requires:

• Structuring product information for AI comprehension: Create clear, self-contained descriptions of features, use cases, and benefits. Avoid marketing speak that obscures actual functionality.
• Eliminating content bloat: Remove or consolidate weak product pages, outdated feature descriptions, and redundant content that confuses AI models about your core offerings.
• Thinking in terms of buyer intent: Structure content around the questions potential customers actually ask, not just the keywords they might search for.

2. Create Content That Answers Software Buyers’ Questions

If your product descriptions are vague, rely on industry jargon, or require context from other pages, they may be ignored by AI tools when customers ask for software recommendations.

Instead, focus on:

• Clear, benefit-focused feature descriptions that stand alone without additional context.
• Comprehensive FAQ sections addressing common software evaluation questions.
• Comparison content that honestly positions your product against alternatives.
• Implementation guides and use case examples that demonstrate real-world value.
• Integration documentation that’s easily discoverable and understandable.

The goal is to ensure AI tools have complete, accurate information about your software when making recommendations to potential customers.

3. Track AI Visibility and Expand Your Presence

Only 22% of B2B marketers currently track their brand visibility in large language models, representing a significant missed opportunity for SaaS companies where word-of-mouth and recommendations drive significant growth.

• Monitor AI mentions: Use tools like SERP Recon and BrightEdge to understand how often your product appears in AI-generated responses. Track whether these mentions are accurate and favorable.
• Build authoritative presence beyond search: Strengthen your visibility across channels where software buyers gather information:
  • Develop thought leadership content for industry publications.
  • Participate actively in relevant communities (Reddit, Discord, industry forums).
  • Create educational content for YouTube and podcast platforms.
  • Engage with software review sites and comparison platforms.
• Invest in digital PR and partnerships: Build relationships with industry influencers, participate in software roundups, and collaborate with complementary tools to increase your citation potential.

The New SaaS Marketing Playbook

AI search is no longer emerging — it’s here, and it’s already changing how customers discover software solutions. Organic traffic patterns are shifting, traditional keyword strategies are losing effectiveness, and customers are getting recommendations from AI before they ever reach your website.

This doesn’t mean traditional marketing is dead. It means SaaS marketing is evolving toward a more distributed, conversation-focused approach.

Focus on being discoverable across channels where your customers seek recommendations, not just via search engines.

Focus on content that educates and informs rather than just on converting visitors that are already on your site.

Focus on brand visibility that transcends individual marketing channels and builds authority in AI knowledge bases.

The companies that thrive in this new landscape won’t be those that game the algorithm, but those that consistently provide clear, helpful information about their software solutions wherever customers are looking for answers.

For SaaS, software, and digital product companies, this shift represents an opportunity to build more authentic relationships with potential customers by meeting them where they are — in conversations with AI tools, community discussions, and educational content — rather than waiting for them to find you through traditional search.

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