Microsoft slams Apple fee, says it can't monetise its cloud gaming services as a result
"Apple's IAP commission fee is set at a level that is neither economically sustainable nor justifiable"
Microsoft has criticised Apple's commission fee, saying it makes it "impossible to effectively monetise its cloud gaming service offering" on iOS as a result.
In its latest statement as part of a CMA investigation looking into mobile browsers and the cloud gaming market, the company said that "despite the changes Apple made to [its g]uidelines between January and March 2024, many of them still represent an obstacle to cloud gaming native apps."
It later added: "Apple's IAP commission fee is set at a level that is neither economically sustainable nor justifiable. The 30% commission fee makes it impossible for Microsoft to effectively monetize its cloud gaming service offering, given that Guideline 3.1.3(b) prevents different content, subscriptions or features (including consumables in multiplatform games) being offered to iOS users (as compared to the content, subscriptions and features offered on other platforms)."
This is part of an investigation restarted in January after a month hiatus, looking into whether Apple and Google's domination gets in the way of competition in mobile ecosystems.
Last month, Apple updated its terms in the EU to allow developers to link to external payment platforms not using the built-in iOS payment system.