Tuesday, December 7, 2021

DOJ Investigates Apple’s Treatment of Roblox

Josh Sisco:

As the U.S. government tries to put together an antitrust case against Apple for the way it controls iPhones, prosecutors are looking for instances in which the company is unevenly enforcing rules for app developers in ways that could hurt its potential rivals. One example they’re focused on is Apple’s hands-off approach with gaming firm Roblox, which compares starkly to how it deals with other gaming app developers.

Juli Clover:

Roblox users can create a variety mini games that can be accessed within the main Roblox app, and during the Epic v. Apple trial, Epic argued that Apple had given Roblox a “free pass” while preventing other apps from doing something similar.

[…]

After coming up in the Epic v. Apple trial, Roblox altered its website to clarify that it offers “experiences” instead of “games,” a change made after App Store executive Trystan Kosmynka explained that Roblox did not violate App Store rules because Apple did not view Roblox content “as a game.” Kosmynka said that the “experiences” within Roblox were similar to “the experiences in Minecraft,” another game where users can build mini game-like content.

Previously:

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I should hope so. The Apple/Roblox coordinated rebranding from "games" to "experiences" was blatant.

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