Towards the end of last year, it had emerged that popular games develop, Epic Games, had breached the terms and conditions of both Apple and Google (News - Alert) by introducing a payment method that circumvented the 30% tax that is a standard from both. This change led to the removal of Fortnite from both marketplaces, and the launch of a legal battle. The premise from Epic being that the nature of the app store was anti-competitive, and the recent ruling agreed and has ruled that changes are needed to make room for different payment options particularly within the Apple (News - Alert) marketplace – but what does this mean for developers?
Options for more games to emerge – There are some titles that rely on regular deposits or payments in order to play, like these options of online casinos or other online gambling services for example, which have had less representation which many players believe is due to the constraints of the payment options – the change in these options to allow third party links and buttons means that these services may start to emerge in larger numbers and offer more direct options outside of the limited number of apps or the direct to website approach currently taken, and will help the players looking for these experiences to do so in an easier way.
More profits, more development – With the extra cut being taken away and the 30% additional revenue from any in-app purchase, it also means that developers can stretch budgets further and start to look for further development options by either expanding current application options or by developing new options entirely. A change had been made earlier in the year to cut this tax to 15% for smaller developers under a certain threshold, but this change now means developers of all sizes will gain the same benefits and look to grow from this adjustment.
A change for microtransactions – The mobile platform has long been known for the widespread introduction of microtransactions and premium features as a way to fund development of games, often being much smaller payments that the typical approach of buying a full game on another platform, and this change may provide an opportunity for microtransactions to change. It’s an unlikely proposition, and likely many developers will double down here with the potential for additional profits, but some may take the opportunity to give back to its users who have been loyal and helped throughout the period where 30% had been the standard.
As for Fortnite itself, it’s unlikely it’ll be seen back on the Apple marketplace anytime soon and will miss out on the benefits of this change after having experienced those benefits early on, much to the dismay of many fans who would hope to see the game return sooner rather than later.
