MiHoYo twice tried to bypass Apple’s 30% cut on in-app purchases – report

According to a recent report by The Chinese Project, MiHoYo, the Chinese developer behind Genshin Impact, has made two separate attempts to circumvent Apple’s 30% in-app purchase fee.

Per the report, starting in August, MiHoYo has made two unsuccessful attempts to establish its payment methods, aiming to bill customers directly without incurring the fees charged by Apple. Apple typically takes a commission of up to 30% for each transaction conducted within the App Store.

At first glance, it seems that Apple and miHoYo have been strengthening their relationship this year. In March, during a visit to China, Apple’s CEO Tim Cook paid a visit to miHoYo’s Shanghai office. There, he expressed his gratitude to the remarkable team responsible for the blockbuster game Genshin Impact and engaged in pleasant conversations with miHoYo’s founder, Liú Wěi 刘伟.

In 2020, Genshin Impact received the prestigious title of “iPhone Game of the Year” from Apple. Just a year later, it continued its winning streak by securing the “Best Visuals & Graphics in Games” accolade at the Apple Design Awards. The company emphasized that the game’s “heart-pounding battle scenes and far-reaching landscapes push the visual frontier for mobile gaming.”

Six months after Tim Cook’s visit, during Apple’s annual keynote event where they unveiled the latest iPhone 15 series, two games developed by miHoYo were showcased to highlight the groundbreaking gaming performance of the new iPhone models.

“miHoYo’s own recent attempts to get around Apple’s rules started in August via its official community forum app Mǐyóushè 米游社, where fans of its flagship games — such as Genshin Impact and its latest release, Honkai: Star Rail — are given exclusive access to promotions and all things related to their favorite titles,” The Chinese Project said.

“The move was low-key and discreet: Rather than launching and advertising a brand-new payment channel publicly, miHoYo reportedly instructed customer service staff to direct users to make in-game purchases via miHoYo’s website, where they could directly buy digital goods without Apple taking a cut in sales.”