Apple has been one of the companies most criticized for charges and commissions that it imposes on developers who want to make money within its platform (App Store). As if that were not enough, a good part of this criticism has come from Facebook (now Meta), the company of Mark Zuckerberg, which now intends to charge up to 47.5% in its well-known metaverse. In Cupertino they have not missed the opportunity to comment and this is what they said.
On April 13, Meta announced its commission plan for developers who want to publish their experiences and digital goods (NFTs) in their virtual world Horizon Worldsas well as in the app store for virtual reality Meta Quest Store (the official one for Oculus Quest users).
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Apple on Facebook: “They show their hypocrisy”
The news did not go unnoticed because it was Facebook itself that had previously criticized on many occasions the charges of only 30% that Apple imposed on app store. Now, in ‘the apple’ they have decided to express themselves.
Fred Sainz, Apple spokesman, revealed Cupertino’s opinion through an email sent to MarketWatch. This was what he said:
“Meta has consistently criticized Apple for charging its developers a 30% commission on purchases made within the App Store – and has used small businesses and creators as its scapegoat at every opportunity. Now, they are looking to charge those same creators significantly more than any other platform.”
“This reveals the hypocrisy of this company,” he continues. “It shows that while they’re looking to use Apple’s platform for free, they’re happy to charge creators and small businesses to use theirs,” he concludes.
YOU CAN SEE: Facebook criticized Apple for its commissions, but now it will charge more in the metaverse
Many metaverses, many charges
It is worth noting that, at least in the current situation, virtual worlds such as Roblox, Horizon Worlds and others financially support their creators through the content they offer in these. Meta has justified its commissions and ensures that its fees are “competitive”.
The industry standard (commissions for developers) has remained at 30% and with a clear downward trend. The constant criticism of Apple and Google has caused both companies to reduce their charges up to 15% in specific cases, such as companies that do not reach a million dollars in profits.
Another point to consider is that Meta is not the only alternative that thousands of creators have to publish their content, and other metaverses are likely to charge 30% as well, at least. Even so, Horizon Worlds is expected to be available on other platforms besides Oculus Quest 2 Y oculus rift.