On the evening of February 24, a message that "Apple shot, and the game version number needs to be submitted before June 30", like a flat thunder, caused great panic among everyone.
On the afternoon of the next day, ByteDance's pangolin alliance also issued a similar notice, requiring developers to submit qualifications including the version number by March 6.
Suddenly, buying a measuring circle exploded, and some people have even wailed in the circle of friends, suggesting that the boss dissolve the company as soon as possible, and the employees will all understand.
1. Why did everyone react so strongly? What is a vest bag?
As everyone in the industry knows, "vest pack" and "cut payment" are the survival modes of many small and medium-sized companies.
The so-called "vest pack" refers to the method of changing the name, icon, and art materials of the same game into a new game and putting it on the shelf. Since a single APP can only cover 100-character keywords, uploading multiple APPs will also increase the keyword coverage, and when adding new functions, testing on the vest package will not affect customers using the main package Feelings. Therefore, the vest package can not only help developers reduce the cost of buying volume, but also effectively reduce risks and avoid the losses caused by iterating on the main package and having poor results.
Therefore, if the version number is strictly controlled, then similar gameplay will not work. After strict control of the version number, many purchases of products will cut off the main source of traffic, and games that mainly rely on advertising profits will also be affected. The App Store ’s free list needs to be shuffled, and the pattern of buying volume should be reset
2. How strict is Apple's strict control over the version number?
In the past two years, the domestic Android channel has already used the version number as a necessary condition before the game is launched, and the App Store at that time did not require the game version number, so most manufacturers who did not get the version number would choose iOS The platform came to "take the risk" and regarded the App Store as the last "life-saving straw".
According to Nandu's report at the end of 2018, 58 of the top 100 iOS bestsellers at that time had no version numbers or applied "fake version numbers". And this is just what happened on the "clear side." In fact, under the strict version number approval system, a large wave of small and medium-sized products on the market have chosen to "test the water" on the iOS platform. In most cases, if there is no report, it is not difficult to get through.
Now, there are only four months left before the version number is submitted on June 30 .
3. In the face of sudden changes, how should developers respond?
First of all, if this move between Apple and Byte is a signal of tightening supervision, other platforms should also receive similar news. However, Tencent Advertising said in an interview that they did not receive notice in this regard. In addition, the version number submission deadline specified by Apple and ByteDance is not the same, which may indicate that there is no necessary connection between the two things.
Therefore, the industry does not have to panic too much, and may wish to wait and see the changes first, until the platform introduces more detailed regulations. In addition, there are three points that need everyone's attention in this transformation:
1) In the App Store's regulations, currently only the paid and in-app purchase games are required to provide the version number, and there are no clear restrictions on casual games that are monetized through advertising. This may be possible later. Transformation opportunities
2) The behavior of applying the version number has already suffered a heavy blow in 2019, and the dynamic supervision of the game industry behind it will also be stricter, and the gray area of the game industry will only become narrower and narrower. Like some companies that buy volume, transforming overseas is an inevitable choice;
3) In addition to concerns about local innovation and policy orientation of games, we should also pay attention to the problem of capital repatriation as early as possible, and lay a good return channel early. Among them, opening an external account is an indispensable link. Of course, not all companies and individuals have the strength and energy to go through the tedious process of approval by foreign companies. For such manufacturers, looking for third-party collection It is a good choice for companies to open overseas accounts .
Finally, if you are really worried about the business being affected, instead of complaining about the platform or struggling to find new rules and loopholes, it is better to switch to a more formal and deterministic business as early as possible to avoid risks to the greatest extent.
Whether you like it or not, the game industry is undergoing earth-shaking changes. It may be a bit cruel, but we always have to face it bravely. If you have any questions, please leave a message to exchange and work together to find a new way out of the sea ~
