HoYoverse Attempts to Dodge Apple's 30% Commission Despite Close Ties
Chinese game developer HoYoverse, renowned for the blockbuster mobile title Genshin Impact, has made two moves to circumvent Apple's 30% in-app purchase fee. This comes as a curveball, considering Genshin Impact has not only won Apple's iPhone Game of the Year award in 2020 but also nabbed Best Visuals & Graphics in the Apple Design Awards the following year.
Despite the game's accolades and the close relationship between HoYoverse and Apple, the developer has sought ways to evade Apple's cut on more than one occasion. Initially, HoYoverse routed players to its official community forum app to make in-game purchases directly from their website, effectively sidestepping Apple's commission. In response, Apple pulled the app from its store.
Not one to back down easily, HoYoverse then integrated Alipay, a widely-used digital payment system in China, as an alternate payment route. Apple was quick to disable this feature for iPhone users as well.
Industry analysts at Niko Partners suggest that HoYoverse is not likely to be an isolated case. The trend of driving in-game purchases outside traditional app marketplaces to boost profit margins could extend beyond gaming. It's a burgeoning issue that may pose challenges in the Chinese market and potentially reshape in-app purchase dynamics.
Source: IT Home