Following its legal defeat against Epic Games, the giant Apple seems to be looking to reposition itself in the video game sector. And according to analyst Joost van Dreunen, the Cupertino company could be aiming for an unexpected goal: the acquisition of Unity Technologies.
A tense context for Apple
Last month, the courts ruled. Apple can no longer prevent developers from indicating payment methods outside the App Store. A severe blow to a business model based on a 30% commission on sales. In response, the Cupertino company is starting to take action. It acquired RAC7, a small independent studio known for Sneaky Sasquatch. And it's preparing a dedicated video game app, which would be pre-installed on iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple TV by the end of the year.
In his newsletter, Joost van Dreunen believes that Apple could go even further by acquiring Unity Technologies. As a reminder, Unity powers more than 70% of mobile games worldwide. The engine has also been natively integrated into the Apple Vision Pro since its launch.
According to the analyst, such an acquisition would allow Apple to block Unity from its direct-to-consumer sales ambitions. It would also be a way to cut the grass under Epic Games' feet, by offering a complete chain of creation, distribution and monetization directly integrated into the manufacturer's ecosystem.
An affordable deal for the company?
The financial interest is real. Unity, once valued at $56 billion at the height of the pandemic, is “only” worth $8.9 billion today. A sum that remains paltry compared to Apple's $3 trillion market capitalization. For van Dreunen, this opportunity is one to seize. It would allow Apple to secure a strategic position in mobile gaming while reassuring developers in the face of the rise of alternatives like Xsolla, which rely on direct sales.
However, it's important to keep a cool head. The analyst himself acknowledges that this is only a prediction. There is no official sign of such a project. Neither the Cupertino company nor Unity have publicly reacted to this hypothesis. On forums like ResetEra, many gamers remain skeptical. Some are worried about seeing a player like Apple take over such a central engine, particularly for independent games on PC. Others point out that this is just an opinion piece, with no concrete basis to date.
Source: Van Dreunen
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