
Apple issues new rules for App Store that impact streaming game services - partiallypro
https://www.cnbc.com/2020/09/11/apple-app-store-new-rules-will-affect-google-stadia-microsoft-xcloud.html
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ffpip
So 100 new listings on the App Store, plus a 30% cut to Apple, when Google and
MS are hosting the games on their servers?

This is the worst way this could have been implemented. How could they even
justify forcing a listing and a 30% cut for something that they don't even
host? It just has to be streamed from a server. They have 0 costs.

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Red_Leaves_Flyy
Apples trying to get 30% of in game purchases..

Microsoft should just strip it all out and send warnings through their regular
channels, butt say nothing in the games to comply with these rules. Malicious
compliance is the best compliance when faced with abusive and controlling
partners.

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Red_Leaves_Flyy
It's very entertaining to see Microsoft, Apple, Facebook, and the ringer epic
games battling it out for the privilege to poach on each others turf. All
these companies have moat building policies that hurt the consumers and the
companies selling through the respective platforms. I'd say bust them all up
intostrongly divided companies by sector. Make them compete on merits, not by
screwing over their customers.

Edit: I really hope this ends up in massive anti trust breaking up all the
behemoths in the room.

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gigel82
This is disgusting, Apple is clearly behaving like a bully. I hope
Nvidia/MS/Google don't cave; yes, you lose some potential profit, but stand up
for something.

Once my current XS finally dies, I'm moving over to Android (even though I've
been on Apple for 10 years, I can't accept this behavior as normal).

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gamblor956
Apple isn't even trying to pretend that isn't not abusing antitrust anymore .

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Fej
TL;DR: These rules were written to ensure that none of the companies
implementing game streaming will follow them. It's effectively the same as
banning them, and the expertise required and cost of starting a new cloud
gaming service is so high that there are few companies capable of it, so we
_probably_ won't see one started to fill this iOS niche (although it's not
impossible).

Service-by-service:

Project xCloud (beta name), it's Microsoft's cloud gaming service attached to
Xbox Game Pass Ultimate. The 30% cut is probably not viable to give up. They
just announced that EA Play will be added to the service, further reducing
their margins. Since they would be required to offer the same price as
elsewhere, I don't expect them to invest in iOS.

PlayStation Now. Not currently available on mobile devices, but Sony committed
code to Android 10 to make the DualShock 4 (PS4 controller) work properly over
Bluetooth, so who knows? That code is also used with their PS4 Remote Play app
which is available for both iOS and Android. Sony has not hesitated to kill
off loss leaders (I'm thinking of PS Vue in particular) and the service isn't
all that popular as it is, even though it beat all the other competitors to
market by _years,_ so I don't see them investing further into this service
unless it picks up a lot more customers. (They may see this as an opportunity
though, so it's a possibility.)

Nvidia GeForce Now. This is a complete non-starter as games are not sold at
all by Nvidia, their subscription is effectively selling server time. Players
can play a subset of games they already own on other digital storefronts.
Since games cannot be purchased in any way, neither by subscription nor
individually, the "app" downloaded from the App Store would have to be
purchased elsewhere which I believe breaks another App Store rule.

Google Stadia. Saved this one for last as it's the most likely of the bunch to
give in and follow Apple's rules, although I'd still consider it a toss-up.
Unlike all of the other services mentioned here, Stadia does sell games
individually in addition to their subscription, which more closely meets the
intent of Apple's setup (that each game is "downloaded" separately). Google
has the engineering talent to roll this out quickly, if it's possible on a
business level, and they are evidently willing to burn the capital necessary
to acquire more consumers due to their other actions in this space. So Stadia
on iOS is a distinct possibility, even if Apple's rules make it difficult and
potentially unprofitable.

In addition to the problems above - for each service, each game would have to
be looked at by the streaming provider and potentially altered by the game's
original developers on a game-by-game basis to implement Apple's IAP
requirement; given in particular the 30% IAP cut, AAA publishers' reliance on
microtransaction revenue, and Apple's requirement to not charge a higher price
than elsewhere, I don't expect them to bother, but you never know. This also
means that the streaming provider _might_ have to use a different version of
the game depending on whether the user is streaming from an iOS or non-iOS
device, but that's also an unknown regarding the internal implementation of
their in-game purchase API. It's the 30% cut that's more important here
though.

