UK Watchdog Shuts Down Probes into Apple and Google App Stores 

3D printed logos of Apple and Google are pictured on a keyboard in front of binary code in this illustration taken September 24, 2021. (Reuters)
3D printed logos of Apple and Google are pictured on a keyboard in front of binary code in this illustration taken September 24, 2021. (Reuters)
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UK Watchdog Shuts Down Probes into Apple and Google App Stores 

3D printed logos of Apple and Google are pictured on a keyboard in front of binary code in this illustration taken September 24, 2021. (Reuters)
3D printed logos of Apple and Google are pictured on a keyboard in front of binary code in this illustration taken September 24, 2021. (Reuters)

Britain's competition watchdog has closed its existing investigations into Apple and Google's respective app stores, awaiting new laws governing digital markets.

The tech giants have faced scrutiny around the world over the dominance of their respective App Store and Google Play store platforms, which critics say impose unfair charges on app developers and limit competition.

In 2022, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) published a market study of mobile ecosystems in Britain, which found Apple and Google held an effective monopoly over the distribution of apps in Britain.

The body subsequently launched parallel investigations into both companies for alleged anticompetitive behavior.

But in a statement published on Wednesday, the CMA said it had dropped both probes, pending the roll-out of the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act (DMCCA), which is expected to come into force later this year.

"Once the new pro-competition digital markets regime comes into force, we’ll be able to consider applying those new powers to concerns we have already identified through our existing work," said Will Hayter, Executive Director for Digital Markets at the CMA.

A Google spokesperson said its Android operating system had always allowed flexibility and choice not found on other platforms, including multiple app stores.

"We have engaged with the CMA over the course of many months during their investigation. As part of this, we made a number of significant commitments to further broaden the billing options available to developers through Google Play," they said.

Apple did not immediately respond to a request for comment.



China Goes Ape Over Culture-Boosting ‘Black Myth: Wukong’ Video Game 

A young man plays Chinese action role-playing game "Black Myth: Wukong", developed by Chinese video game company Game Science, during its launch day in Shanghai on August 20, 2024. (AFP) 
A young man plays Chinese action role-playing game "Black Myth: Wukong", developed by Chinese video game company Game Science, during its launch day in Shanghai on August 20, 2024. (AFP) 
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China Goes Ape Over Culture-Boosting ‘Black Myth: Wukong’ Video Game 

A young man plays Chinese action role-playing game "Black Myth: Wukong", developed by Chinese video game company Game Science, during its launch day in Shanghai on August 20, 2024. (AFP) 
A young man plays Chinese action role-playing game "Black Myth: Wukong", developed by Chinese video game company Game Science, during its launch day in Shanghai on August 20, 2024. (AFP) 

Chinese state media threw its back behind China's most successful single-player video game to date, saying its adaptation of the Ming dynasty epic "Journey to the West" would force Western players to learn more about the country's culture.

"Black Myth: Wukong", based on a mythological monkey king from a Chinese literary classic who can shape-shift into humans, animals and inanimate objects, was being played by 2.2 million concurrent players on Steam, a major online gaming platform, on Wednesday, a day after its release.

"Chinese players in the past have gone through this process of cross-cultural understanding, now it is the turn of overseas players to learn... and understand Chinese traditional culture," China Central Television wrote in a blog.

Drawing heavily on the story of the beloved magical monkey, Sun Wukong, who acquires supernatural powers by practicing Taoism, "Black Myth: Wukong" can only be enjoyed if players are familiar with the plot of the 16th century classic, the national broadcaster said.

The game was launched on Tuesday by Game Science, a Tencent-backed startup to much fanfare on Chinese social media. Hashtags on the video game accumulated 1.7 billion views on China's X-like microblog Weibo.

"This release marks a bold foray by Chinese game developers into a market long dominated by Western triple-A titles," state news agency Xinhua wrote in an editorial on Wednesday.

"With this breakthrough, the default language of a triple-A game is no longer English, but Chinese," it added.

"Black Myth: Wukong" would "attract more global players to pay attention to domestic games", said analysts at Shanghai-based Topsperity Securities, adding that companies across a wide range of sectors could expect to profit off intellectual property tie-ins.

Ride-hailing firm Didi, Lenovo Group and Luckin Coffee are incorporating elements inspired by "Black Myth: Wukong" into their promotional campaigns.

Be that as it may, gaming stocks were unchanged on Wednesday, with concept stocks linked to the game's development down after having risen considerably over the past month.

"Black Myth: Wukong" was widely lauded as China's first AAA game - high development costs, long production cycles and immense investment. But unlike other Chinese games that are played on mobile devices and involve endless micro-payments, the game is a one-time purchase with a price tag of 268 yuan ($37.58) for the standard version and 328 yuan for the premium.

Pre-sales, which began in June, had reached 400 million yuan as of Tuesday when the game was launched, according to Citi.

"It is unclear whether "Black Myth: Wukong's" business model can bring more profits... the important thing... is that China is finally getting its own AAA game that can excite the world," state-owned tabloid Global Times cited an industry insider as saying.

"Global players will be able to get a deeper understanding of traditional Chinese culture while having fun," Global Times declared.