The Ledger #14: Epic v Google Ninth Circuit Appeal News

Google's Ninth Circuit appeal still pending

Google's appeal against the Epic v Google injunction remains before the Ninth Circuit. The injunction bars anti-steering and requires opening Play to rival billing and to rival app stores, and its compliance obligations stay in force while the court deliberates. What it means for buyers: keep MMP configurations ready for alternative billing flows on Android rather than treating them as a future contingency, since the underlying injunction hasn't moved regardless of the appeal's timeline.

Moloco publishes gaming IAP trend research

Moloco has published research on in-app purchase trends across mobile games. According to the vendor, it covers monetisation shifts by genre as well as demand-side bidding performance. Figures are still filtering through trade coverage. Treat them as directional. What it means for buyers: worth a read for genre-level monetisation benchmarks, but confirm any specific figure against the primary report before you build a plan around it.

Mintegral expands AI-powered Smart Bidding

Mintegral has continued expanding its AI-driven Smart Bidding product, reportedly extending automated bid optimisation to a wider share of its gaming demand. Another network, then, moving its core bidding logic toward the automated model that AppLovin's and Unity's platforms have already made the industry default. What it means for buyers: test it at modest budget before committing meaningful spend.

Drake Star's Q2 consolidation themes, a follow-up

The Ledger #13 flagged Drake Star's Q2 2025 report on hybrid-casual publishing and ad-tech consolidation, with AppLovin's divestiture of its Apps business to Tripledot cited as a bellwether deal. That framing has held up. Over the following fortnight no counter-signal has suggested the consolidation trend is slowing, and Tripledot's own integration of the former AppLovin Apps portfolio continues to be the clearest live example of what a post-consolidation publisher's UA setup actually looks like day to day. What it means for buyers: continue treating portfolio and ad-tech consolidation as the default backdrop for planning, not a one-off tied to a single deal.