The Epic Games vs Apple App Store row has now attracted scrutiny in Japan – the world epicentre of gaming. Not only has the antitrust regulator in the country has taken an interest in the situation, but executives at other games makers are speaking out against the system too. One, Hironao Kunimitsu, founder and chairman of mobile games producer Gumi, wrote “I want from the bottom of my heart Epic to win,” on his Facebook page.
Japan Games Developers Complain About App Store Process
Games developers have also found the rection system arbitrary and problematic. Makoto Shoji, founder of PrimeTheory, which provides the rejection service, told Bloomberg News:
Apple’s app review is often ambiguous, subjective and irrational. Apple’s response to developers is often curt and boilerplate, but even with that, you must be polite on many occasions, like a servant asking the master what he wants next.
Apple, of course, insists it provides high-quality support to developers of all kinds. It regularly boasts about how many jobs its App Store ecosystem produces. However, some devs have complained about long delays in getting games approved. “While Apple will never admit it, I think there are times when they simply forget an item’s in the review queue or they intentionally keep it untouched as a sanction to a developer giving them the wrong attitude,” Mr. Shoji added. Worse, Hisakazu Hirabayashi, a games consultant in Tokyo commented that “Apple is a sheriff who sometimes makes unfair interpretations of the guidelines for its own benefit.”
The Japanese games market is crucial. While the 15-30 percent revenue cut may be the issue for Epic Games, concerns with games makers in Japan go beyond that.