HoYoverse, the Chinese game developer behind Genshin Impact, has made two unsuccessful attempts since August to establish its own payment methods. The moves were intended to allow the company to bill customers directly without having to pay Apple’s commission fees of up to 30% on transactions through the App Store. HoYoverse heavily relies on a feature called gacha, which operates like a toy vending machine and encourages players to make small payments to obtain desired anime characters and limited-edition items. Despite its controversial similarities to gambling, this randomized system has contributed to the immense success of Genshin Impact, a free-to-download fantasy role-playing game released in 2020. According to intelligence firm Sensor Tower, Genshin Impact generated approximately $1.56 billion worldwide in 2022. [IThome, in Chinese]
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