Google takes up to 30 percent commission on payments, Indian gaming CEO seeks government intervention

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Google at 25: Celebrating a Quarter-Century of Innovation and Impact
Google at 25: Celebrating a Quarter-Century of Innovation and Impact



Prominent Indian gaming CEOs on Monday slammed Google over the 30 per cent commission charged by the tech giant on in-app purchases in the country. Google forces the user to pay for any mandatory in-app purchases through their payment system only and in return, it charges a commission of 30 percent from the developer.

If a developer charges Rs 100 for a mandatory in-app purchase, Rs 30 goes to Google as commission and Rs 70 goes to the developer. A developer needs revenue from games to pay for hosting, user acquisition, and other expenses.
The CEO was participating in a panel discussion on ‘Consiliency 2023’ organized by Law and Technology Society (L-Tech) at National Law School of India University (NLSIU) in partnership with All India Game Developers Forum (AIGDF). ,

Making a case for reducing commissions, Mobile Premier League (MPL) co-founder and CEO Sai Srinivas said 30 per cent commission may be viable in advanced economies like the US, but Indian game developers need more revenue to invest in it. Needed. game development.

Terming the 30 per cent commission as a ‘jagirdari’ tax, IndieG co-founder Manish Agarwal said, “Adding an additional 30 per cent tax on top of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) is a significant expense for consumers, which is unproductive from a gamer’s perspective.” Is.

The Indian gaming CEO is not the only one who is fighting against this monopolistic payment policy of Google In August 2021, South Korea amended its Telecommunications Business Act to allow Google and Apple to offer third-party payment methods to developers.

Recently, in the ongoing fight against Google’s alleged monopolistic practices in India, the Alliance for Digital India Foundation (ADIF) enlisted the support of South Korean legislator, Assemblywoman Jungmin Hong, who compared the situation in India to that of South Korea.

In a panel discussion, Krafton Inc. India CEO Sean Hyunil Sohan called for appropriate intervention by the government and encouraged the growth of competition from third-party stores supported by consumers.
Meanwhile, the government has notified new rules to protect online gamers from harmful content and addiction. Under the regulations, the government defines an online game as “a game that is offered over the Internet and is accessible by a user through a computer resource or an intermediary”. However, online games that involve betting and betting will violate the new rules.

-IANS

Indian gaming CEO calls for government intervention after Google takes up to 30 percent commission on payments, appeared first on Techlusive.



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