Tencent Reportedly Concedes to Apple: WeChat Mini Games to Use Apple's In-App Purchase System and Pay a Commission
Brook.X
To date, WeChat Mini Games have not been commercialized on the iOS platform. The reason is straightforward: Tencent does not believe that Mini Games should pay for virtual items through Apple's in-app purchase (IAP) system, whereas Apple insists that virtual products should comply with the developer's rules, using the IAP system and paying a commission.
Due to this disagreement, WeChat Mini Games have been commercialized on the Android platform early on but could only profit from advertising on iOS. Of course, some developers have also guided users to purchase items through WeChat Pay. Apple has caught onto this workaround, demanding Tencent to block the payment loopholes, or it would prohibit WeChat from issuing updates.
According to the latest news from Bloomberg, Tencent is now conceding to Apple and is discussing revenue sharing from WeChat Mini Games with Apple. This arrangement will enable Apple to earn a significant commission from WeChat Mini Games.
For game developers and Tencent, this situation is also quite anxious. Previously, WeChat Mini Games on iOS could not be commercialized, and developers could barely earn revenue by guiding users to make payments without having to pay a commission to WeChat.
Currently, WeChat charges a 40% commission on in-game purchases, meaning that if a user purchases items worth 100 yuan, the developer only receives 60 yuan, with the remaining 40 yuan taken as WeChat's platform commission. However, since there was no commercialization on iOS, there was no commission.
Now, Tencent's reconciliation with Apple means that Apple will also take a cut. Even if it doesn't take the 30% commission, a 15% commission is still quite high for developers, especially since WeChat itself also takes a 40% cut.
Thus, the exact commission ratio is still unclear. It's unlikely that Apple will take a 30% commission, and WeChat probably won't charge 40% on iOS as it does on Android, or else the income left for developers would be too little.
Regardless, subsequent WeChat Mini Games on iOS will only be able to make purchases and recharge through the AppStore IAP system. This might not have a significant impact on users, and it could even be good news for developers and WeChat. After all, official commercialization means that as long as the platform is large enough, there's still money to be made.
