Although Epic Games and its battle against Apple at the cost of Fortnite in-app purchases have made all the headlines on the App Store in recent times, we cannot forget the case of Google Stadia and xCloud. These video game platforms were blocked by Apple, but it seems that something has changed.
Apple changes the rules of the App Store
Google Stadia and Microsoft‘s xCloud are two video game services that aimed to reach the App Store of iOS and iPadOS with the firm objective of attracting new customers. Apple, however, blocked this possibility to developers hiding in that it could not allow applications that contained more applications inside. Many then accused Apple of unethical practices as an excuse to eliminate competitors from the Apple Arcade gaming platform.
This situation changed at the end of last week, as Apple made a series of modifications to the rules of the App Store that would now allow Stadia, xCloud and other platforms to be present on the iPhone, iPad and Mac. However, they will have to adapt to the new requirements, among which the following stand out:
- That the video games included in each platform be reviewed individually as if they were added individually to the App Store.
- Titles should have their own metadata to make it easy to search.
- That there are individual chips for each game, with user ratings.
- Allow these games to be analyzed by the iOS Screen Time feature.
These rules, despite appearing strict, ultimately equal any other application and therefore puts them in the same condition. It will be necessary to see if finally Google and Microsoft finally accept these rules and introduce their respective platforms in the App Store, something that to this day is unknown but seems likely.
Goodbye also to the 30% commission in some cases
The 30% commission that Apple endorses for in-app purchases has been another point of contention in recent times after seeing that several developers had been unhappy about it. Epic Games even sued the company, this being one of the most controversial cases of the year and it looks like it will go a long way.
Apple has also decided to add changes here and make some exceptions for those in-app purchases that really serve to acquire services in which literally two people intervene. As an example they presented tutorials to students, real estate tours or sports training. Services like these will no longer have to use Apple services for payments and are therefore exempt from transferring 30% of profits to the Cupertino company.