Xsolla announces new partnerships to support game developers and a new Tokyo location

venturebeat.com:

This is a VB Lab Insight article presented by Xsolla.

In a live fireside chat, Dean Takahashi, lead writer of GamesBeat, spoke with Chris Hewish, President and Interim CEO of Xsolla to discuss the growing direct-to-consumer trend, driven by changing regulations and an increasingly tight market – and how Xsolla’s new initiatives are aimed at helping developers seize new opportunities.

The EU’s Digital Markets Act was developed to ensure that companies competing in the online marketplace are treated fairly by the third-party platforms they rely on to engage with consumers.

“It’s empowering mobile companies to have direct relationships with their players, where they can not only get the game data on where the players are and how they’re playing within their game, but now they can get the data around the commerce and their behavior online,” he said.

Plus, he said, the Digital Markets Act, which goes into effect in March next year, lets mobile game developers expand their businesses beyond just a third-party platform, grow their user base and thrive.

“There’s a lot of opportunity in front of us, and we’re just trying to make sure that we work with the best companies and provide the best technology and integrations for our partners to take advantage of all of that,” Hewish added.

Here’s a look at how Xsolla is helping developers keep pace with a rapidly evolving market.

Late last year, Epic Games paid $520 million in fines in an FTC settlement after the game company was found in violation of the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA). The hefty fine was a bit of a wakeup call for many game companies, a stark reminder that parental controls are not a nice-to-have, but crucial, Hewish said.

“As we continue to help partners go