Web shops keep more revenue

A growing group of mobile game companies is pushing players to buy through browser-based web shops, where developers can keep far more of each sale than they do inside Apple’s App Store or Google Play. (playvault.app) (developer.apple.com) (support.google.com) The pitch is simple: Apple’s Small Business Program takes 15% for developers with up to $1 million in annual proceeds, and Google Play charges 15% on the first $1 million in revenue each year for enrolled developers, with higher rates above that threshold. Google says 99% of developers that pay a fee are eligible for 15% or less, but its standard rate above the first $1 million remains 30%. (developer.apple.com) (support.google.com) PlayVault is one of the services trying to capture that spread. Its site markets a browser destination for Android and iOS games, while its corporate page says the company is backed by veterans from Playtika, ironSource, Plarium and Digital Turbine. (playvault.app) (playvault.co) The model has gained traction as platform rules have loosened. Apple’s current guidelines say apps can use external purchase links in some regions, and Apple’s StoreKit documentation now includes external-purchase tools for the European Union, Japan and the United States. (developer.apple.com 1) (developer.apple.com 2) (developer.apple.com 3) That shift accelerated after an April 30, 2025 federal court ruling in Epic Games’ case against Apple, which ordered Apple to comply with a nationwide anti-steering injunction over links to outside payment options. Apple is now seeking Supreme Court review, according to reports on its April 3, 2026 filing. (cravath.com) (macrumors.com) Epic is building the same infrastructure at larger scale. Epic said in May 2025 that it would let developers launch web shops for mobile and PC games, and said developers would keep 100% of the first $1 million in annual revenue per product on Epic Games Store payments starting June 1, 2025. (store.epicgames.com 1) (store.epicgames.com 2) Epic’s web-shop FAQ says those storefronts can sell currency and consumable content directly to players, support more than 80 payment methods and work for mobile and PC products even if the base game is not sold on the Epic Games Store. (store.epicgames.com) Apple and Google still argue their stores provide distribution, billing, review and security services that justify their fees. Apple says the App Store is a “safe and trusted place” and says every app and update is reviewed, while Google says its billing system supports digital sales inside apps and ties its fee to the value of Google Play. (apple.com) (developer.apple.com) (developer.android.com) (support.google.com) For developers, the tradeoff is less about ideology than arithmetic. If more players are willing to leave an app, open a browser and finish checkout on the web, the money that used to go to the app stores can stay with the game maker instead. (playvault.app) (store.epicgames.com)