Analyst: Apple might be considering acquiring Unity to offset the loss in the lawsuit with Epic Games
In early May, it became known that Epic Games won against Apple in the US appellate court: the corporation was prohibited from charging commissions on payments made outside the App Store. Analyst Joost van Dreunen believes that Apple may now be considering a number of strategies to mitigate the damage. One such strategy is acquiring Unity.
According to van Dreunen, this acquisition would allow Apple to "kill several birds with one stone." First and foremost, it could strengthen control over the mobile ecosystem. Unity owns various monetization tools, and more than 70% of mobile games are developed on its engine. By purchasing the company, Apple would gain a comprehensive solution for creating and promoting apps. Consequently, it would enhance its value, reduce developer turnover, and simultaneously undermine Epic Games' position, which is currently expanding the mobile Epic Games Store.
Furthermore, van Dreunen writes that this move would prevent Unity from becoming a potential competitor. The analyst suggests that Unity's management might take note of the increasing demand among developers for web shops—given that the American App Store can no longer charge for purchases circumventing its payment system, more teams are directing users to third-party platforms. Observing this, Unity might start offering similar services and become akin to a "Shopify for game sellers in mobile stores." For Apple, this scenario means an even greater loss of revenue.
Van Dreunen also noted that Unity is currently relatively inexpensive. As of the time of writing, the company's market value is $9.88 billion—approximately $46.12 billion less than its peak valuation during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, even so, if the deal does occur, the acquisition of Unity would become the most expensive in Apple's history. Currently, that title belongs to the acquisition of headphone maker Beats Electronics for $3 billion in 2014.
In any case, Apple has not publicly expressed interest in Unity, and all of the above remains no more than van Dreunen's conjecture.