Mobile game publishers use web stores to avoid Google and Apple taxes

Some popular mobile games are using external web stores to bypass Google and Apple taxes that come with in-app and in-game purchases.
Game of Thrones Conquest in-app purchases screen
Game of Thrones: Conquest mobil oyunu

Apple and Google taxes are a thing most mobile game publishers wish they could avoid paying. Both stores used to cut 30% of all in-app purchases, but that fee since has been reduced to 15% for the first $1 million made per year…

The infamous Apple and Google taxes have been an issue for years now and the store owners have been sued left and right in the last couple of years. The Apple vs Epic case comes to mind first, but that’s somewhat the tip of the iceberg. Just last week Google agreed to create a $90 million fund to settle with app developers in the US.

Related: Battle passes and Gachas are the most popular monetization methods in F2P

For most major publishers that 15% reduction means absolutely nothing, given how these companies make dozens of millions per month, some per week, let alone a year. Gamerefinery noticed four highly popular mobile games bypassing the system by offering in-game currencies and items at external web stores, mostly at significantly reduced prices.

Game of Thrones: Conquest, Clash of Clans, Marvel Strike Force, and Star Trek Fleet Command are the four games listed in Gamerefinery’s report. Marvel Strike Force made over $4 million via App Store in the last 30 days in the US alone, and Supercell’s Clash of Clans made about $6.7 million within the same time frame.

Neither Google nor Apple is taking action against these external web stores, at least not yet. This could mean that web stores don’t pose a significant threat to mobile stores or both store owners suffered through enough cases lately to let these ones slide. It’ll be interesting to see if other publishers will follow this trend.

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