Game devs say Apple Arcade payouts have been on the decline for years
Apple criticized for poor communication and lack of clarity around bonus payments for subscription service
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Apple Arcade game developers say Apple payouts have decreased since 2020, according to a MobileGamer.biz report.
Some of the developer sources the outlet spoke to said upfront payments were very generous in 2019 during the service's launch, but soon took a turn for the worse and have continued declining since.
Developers added upfront fees for new Arcade games have been cut by Apple.
The report also notes that in 2021, Apple canceled an unknown number of projects as it focused more on family-friendly titles based on existing IPs.
Additionally, game makers noted that Apple has not clarified its business strategy for the service.
"One studio boss told us that after months of glowing feedback on one particular game, the Arcade team suddenly withdrew its interest in the title, citing a change in strategy," said MobileGamer.biz
"When the developer asked for feedback and offered to reduce the budget and re-tool the game to better fit Apple's needs, the Arcade team simply stopped responding to their emails."
This has led to game developers being concerned about the direction of the platform.
One developer said there was a "smell of death" regarding the future of the subscription service.