Apple softens its crypto policy or lays down the law with Axie and Stepn

Tim Cook, Apple CEO – Credit: Shutterstock

Ambivalent, Appleon the crypto ? Despite dissuasive rules, l’App Store made the place in its shelves at two applications reference Web3, Axie Infinity and Stepn. This favor however, has a cost.

All the crypto applications and Web3 have no place on theAppleNFT is the only way to install apps on any iOS device. For the sale of NFT, publishers must give the Cupertino company 30% of revenues.

And for those who refuse, it’s out the door. Coinbase experienced this last December. Its wallet was expelled manu militari, as Apple was determined to impose its commission on gas charges linked to NFT transactions.

Apple ready for Web3 negotiations

Despite these constraints, the barriers to entry for theApp Store can still rise to welcome new applications. They will, however, have to accept concessions and the law dictated by Apple.

Far from softening its demands, the Californian giant is above all ready to negotiate, to its advantage. Sky Mavis’ Axie Infinity is a case in point. The play-to-earn blockchain app recently made its debut in the iOS store.

However, the agreement reached between the two companies limits the use ofAxie Infinity to certain countries. But above all, Sky Mavis had to draw a line under her NFT marketplace. No in-app links allow players to access it on iOS.

Axie Infinity cuts its NFT marketplace

The gaming application doesn’t even mention this feature. A rule imposed by Apple. “Due to Apple’s policies, Axie Infinity: Origins contains no direct links or explicit references to the marketplace in the application at this time”, confirms the publisher.

If players want to find out how to integrate tokens and marketplace access, it’s imperative that they turn to external sources. Sky Mavis makes every effort to keep users informed via e-mail and Discord.

Stepn, a running application popular on Web3, congratulates itself on gaining access to Apple’s mobile store. This access to the hundreds of millions of Apple handset owners is not, however, the result of a favor from the manufacturer.

Apple charges 30% on NFT in-app sales

The publisher had to negotiate this privilege dearly, despite its cries of victory. Yes, users of Stepn will be able to buy and sell digital assets directly in the app. These transactions will even be able to exploit Apple Pay.

Stepn’s marketplace has not been redacted from the application distributed on the Apple store. This is an improvement on the agreement reached with Sky Mavis. However, in return, each in-app purchase will be charged a 30% commission.

Stepn concedes that the privilege obtained, at the price of months of negotiations, comes at a high cost. But the company nonetheless needs the App Store to reach a significant new audience. All the more so as the number of active users is declining.

As usual, Apple is not ceding any ground on its practices, despite growing pressure from competition authorities, notably in France. Europe. In Apple’s ecosystem, the maxim “dura lex sed lex” still holds true. And if it seems to be softening, it’s because the price paid is deemed satisfactory.

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