two & a half gamers Special Episode – Xsolla special: Apple’s updated EU payments, DMA regime, new fees & requirements, web shops

,

This is no BS gaming podcast 2.5 gamers special session. Sharing actionable insights, dropping knowledge from our day-to-day User Acquisition, Game Design, and Ad monetization jobs. We are definitely not discussing the latest industry news, but having so much fun! Let’s not forget this is a 4 am conference discussion vibe, so let’s not take it too seriously. Special Guest: Sam Gagliani

The Team:

Jakub Remia⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠r- Game design consultant

Felix Braberg⁠ – Ad monetization consultant

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Matej Lančarič – User Acquisition & Creatives consultant

Summary
In this episode, the hosts discuss Apple’s updated EU payments DMA regime and its impact on developers. They explore the new fees and requirements imposed by Apple, which include a reduced commission, payment processing fees, and audits. The conversation delves into the challenges faced by developers in navigating these new rules and the strategies they can employ to shift users to web stores. The hosts also discuss Apple’s resistance to change and predict the future of the payment landscape. They touch on the EU’s perspective and the potential for pushback. The episode concludes with a summary of the key takeaways. The conversation explores the challenges faced by developers in the app marketplace, particularly in relation to Apple’s strict policies and high fees. It discusses the need to incentivize users to visit retail stores, both physical and digital, and the importance of adopting a retail mindset. The potential issues with side loading and the role of Apple and Google as expensive payment processors are also examined. The conversation concludes by emphasizing the importance of creating a store and keeping users engaged, as well as the need to support mid-tier businesses.

Agenda
00:00 Introduction
02:06 Apple’s new payment rules
03:21 Apple’s fees and requirements
05:21 Challenges for developers
07:57 Strategies for shifting users to web stores
12:46 Apple’s resistance and future predictions
16:32 EU’s perspective and potential pushback
18:16 Success metrics and risk tolerance
20:31 Redirecting users to web stores
22:20 Gray zone tactics and education
24:04 Shift in spending habits
27:31 Merchant of record and additional services
33:33 Summary and TLDR
35:24 Incentivizing Users to Visit Retail Stores
36:22 Adopting a Retail Mindset
37:47 The Potential Issues with Side Loading
38:14 Apple and Google as Expensive Payment Processors
38:43 Creating a Store and Keeping Users Engaged
39:30 Supporting Mid-Tier Businesses

Takeaways:
Apple’s updated EU payments DMA regime imposes new fees and requirements on developers, including reduced commission and payment processing fees.
Developers face challenges in navigating these new rules and must find strategies to shift users to web stores.
Apple is resistant to change and is likely to continue imposing fees and restrictions on third-party payment transactions.
The EU may push back against Apple’s rules, as they may be seen as anti-competitive.
Developers should consider building web stores and treating them as retail stores, with a focus on education, communication, and providing value to users.

Join our slack channel here: SLACK CHANNEL

Please share feedback and comments – matej@lancaric.me

If you are interested in getting UA tips every week on Monday, sign up for the Brutally Honest newsletter!

Latest news

12 tips for killer mobile User Acquisition (Q3 version)

Here we go again! The previous UA killer articles were super successful, so I started writing a UA killer tips segment. I will keep sharing these tips; don’t worry. Keep reading the tips to improve your UA. Simple, practical & efficient! That’s it, no bullshit & brutally honest! No fluff intro, straight to the point. 1. Google […]

Palworld’s Marketing Masterclass: 7 Key Takeaways

Palworld is back in the headlines, but for entirely different reasons than when it first launched. As you may have read, Nintendo is suing Palworld’s developer, Pocketpair, for apparently “infringing on patent rights.”  But before we open that can of worms and its massive implications for indie game developers, I want to cover a more […]

Alien Invasion case study: How to scale a game with a small UA team

Let’s start with introducing the company that originally developed the game – Multicast Games. Multicast Games is a small team of mobile game creators from Cyprus. They sell casual and mid-core games worldwide, like Alien Invasion. Alien Invasion A mobile game created by Multicast Games, later sold to CrazyLabs Genre: Hypercasual Monetization: 50% in-app, 50% […]

How to stop sexist creatives in User Acquisition

There is no room in User Acquisition for exploiting creatives in a sexist, women attacking and rape suggesting way. Stop with sexist ads now!

The Art of Diversification: Alternative Mobile UA Channels for 2024

Mastering Facebook and Google are table stakes in mobile UA. But when the economy faces a downturn, you have to get creative. It shifts from growth-first to more scrutinized, shorter payback windows. The main benefit is diversification. More channels mean more experimentation and maybe a new and profitable channel. And when one channel suddenly stops […]

Squad Busters Soft launch & Global launch case study

Supercell has announced the global launch date of Squad Busters, the developer’s ambitious new mobile game. Oh boy. I fucking love this game! What is Squad Busters? Imagine a multiverse of all of Supercell’s previously released games. And the characters from these games all converged into one single battle arena. This is Squad Busters. The […]

Contact

User acquisition mobile games consulting

Gentlemen’s s.r.o., Cukrová 2376/6, 811 08 Bratislava, Slovakia
IČO: 47877138, DIČ: 2024137797, IČ DPH: SK2024137797