Meta’s Quest 2 game store fees are turning it into the metaverse’s first villain

techradar.com:

Even before its digital social space can truly take off, Meta is already being seen by some VR game developers as the villain of the metaverse thanks to its high Quest Store fees.

According to the latest reports, several VR game creators are unhappy with the 30% cut Meta takes of revenue for games sold through its Quest Store – the main way most players download new Quest 2 games (via Financial Times(opens in new tab)).

While this is nothing new in the gaming world – Meta’s 30% cut is pretty much the same as it is on other platforms like Google’s Play Store, Apple’s App Store, and Valve’s Steam – many are especially upset with Meta, accusing it of being a hypocrite.

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has previously been very critical of App Store policies, saying its approval process gives it a “unique stranglehold as a gatekeeper of what gets on phones.”

Meta has defended its cut, pointing out that unlike Android and Apple smartphones it's relatively easy to download apps through third-party storefronts to its headsets. One example it gave was SideQuest which just got an update so you can install a VR version of the store straight onto your headset; developers have hit back against this though, arguing that these other stores aren’t as well known as Meta’s Quest Store – likely in part because only Meta’s own store is installed to Quest 2 headsets by default.

These complaints follow similar issues from earlier this year when it was revealed that Meta was planning to take a nearly 50% cut of all sales made in Horizon Worlds. Creators on the platform would not only be expected to pay its usual 30% fee from the Quest Store but a further 25% of the remainder for selling through Horizon Worlds. Combined this means that people selling VR