Epic Games CEO slaps PR move ahead of court case
Come July 1, 2021, Google will reduce the service fee it charges Android developers from 30 per cent to 15 per cent, though only on the first $1m in Google Play revenue. Sameer Samat, VP of product management at Google, described the policy change as an effort to help software developers build sustainable businesses. « We believe this is a fair approach that aligns with Google’s broader mission to help all developers succeed, » he said in a blog post. Earlier today, The Register reported that a fee reduction was under consideration in South Korea. Samat’s post makes it clear that the financial rule revision applies globally. Google’s change of heart follows a similarly structured fee abatement by Apple last year and lawsuits filed recently in the US, the UK, and Australia by Epic Games against both Apple and Google over their app store commissions and restrictions. « Apple and Google demand that game developers use their payment processing service, which charges an exorbitant rate of 30 per cent, » Epic Games said in its announcement of its lawsuit in Australia.
