Google introduced as we speak that the corporate plans to assist extra real-money video games (RMG) on the Play Retailer this yr by permitting extra sorts of video games within the class following native legal guidelines.
The search large stated that this system with prolonged assist for real-money gaming will begin in India, Brazil, and Mexico in June with roll out in additional international locations deliberate sooner or later.
Google can also be contemplating a brand new service charge mannequin for subscriptions and in-app purchases. Nonetheless, the corporate didn’t disclose many particulars in regards to the reduce it should take from builders.
“With this coverage replace, we will even be evolving our service charge mannequin for RMG to replicate the worth Google Play offers and to assist maintain the Android and Play ecosystems. We’re working carefully with builders to make sure our new method displays the distinctive economics and numerous developer incomes fashions of this trade,” Karan Gambhir, Director, World Belief & Security Partnerships at Google stated in a weblog submit.
Google began engaged on together with actual cash gaming apps on the Play Retailer in 2021. In 2022, it began a pilot in India to enable fantasy sports activities and Rummy apps on the native Play Retailer. In 2020, Google pulled Paytm’s app from the Play Retailer as a result of the app included newly launched fantasy sports activities components.
The pilot, which can now prolong to June 30, additionally had rules round age verification and ID verification. Google began an analogous pilot in Mexico final November, which will even prolong to June 30. After that builders will be capable to publish their real-money gaming apps on the Play Retailer past fantasy sports activities classes.
A brand new service charge on real-money video games shall be a key issue for Google Play Retailer’s income as the corporate going through scrutiny worldwide to permit builders to make use of different fee strategies. It usually offers a 4% low cost on service charges beneath its user-choice billing program, which was piloted in 2022 and nonetheless has choose companions.