“The Ecosystem in 2009: Do the Same Rules Apply?” was the name of the panel at the Mobile Games Forum in London this week, but a more apt title might have been “How Apple’s App Store Is Reshaping the Rules.” It’s an understatement to say that the App Store dominated the conversation; every conceivable angle from good to bad regarding Apple’s seven-month-old mobile retailing effort was dissected and examined. Here are some of the highlights:

Publishers, developers are loving the App Store: The App Store has become the biggest distribution platform this year for mobile games giant Gameloft (EPA: GFT).  Revenues earned from the App Store surpass the money Gameloft makes from its deals with carriers, said Gonzague de Vallois, SVP of publishing at mobile games giant Gameloft—which is to say the company must be doing some serious business off the App Store considering its extensive carrier partnerships. In particular, de Vallois likes that his company has the power to tweak things such as price on the App Store, which he says allows it to “adapt to the competition, on a daily basis if necessary.” He also likes that the App Store makes its own editorial choices on games, as well as highlighting those most popular with users. More importantly, the 70-30 revenue split is much better than the rev-share agreements offered by other platforms, he said.

Michael Schade, CEO of German gaming firm Fishlabs, which famously declared it had stopped making Java games for sale through operators and internet portals because they didn’t make the company money, said that user reviews on the App Store allowed the company to quickly respond and tweak a game in as little as a week’s time based on user feedback. As for earnings, Schade said Fishlabs made more money selling a 99-cent game on the App Store than it did selling a $5 Java game through carriers, with operators taking a 50-percent cut.

Cream rises to the top?: Not necessarily true, according to Tim Harrison, an independent games consultant formerly of EA Mobile. The App Store, he said, favors “dynamism” or the “fleet of foot” where a fast production process favors “garage developers.” He also questioned whether the games from the established publishers could stand up to the constantly refreshed offerings from smaller and more nimble developers.

Negative pressure on pricing: Are free or low-priced games on the App Store putting downward pressure on pricing on all games? Vodafone’s head of games Suresh Surenda said the “drive to zero” is problematic, and the perceived value of games is dropping. De Vallois revealed that Gameloft analyzed pricing on the App Store on a “daily basis,” and saw a downward trend. He noted, however, that developers and publishers had to be more flexible on pricing, and that it made sense to say, lower the price of a game, when it was an older one.