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Google’s ‘Project Hug’ paid out huge sums to keep game devs in the Play Store

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Re: Google’s ‘Project Hug’ paid out huge sums to keep game devs in the Play Store

#441

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The evidence of collusion between Apple and Google coming out of the Epic case is amazing to me. I'd always thought it was a sort of unspoken "game theoretic" type of collusion (which I'm sure it is in part), but it looks like they've had very explicit communication about it: https://mobile.twitter.com/jowens510/status/1428417681351348... > After another meeting between Apple and Google senior executives, notes showe…

While it makes an awesome headline for a tabloid or HackerNews, it's not necessarily imporant. See comments on Reddit that provide some thoughts on that: https://www.reddit.com/r/apple/comments/p970st/after_another... https://www.reddit.com/r/apple/comments/p970st/after_another... Obviously, I don't claim these two comments are correct. I do claim, however, that people are better served by not quoting random statemen…

Those Redditors don’t know what they’re talking about. Documented evidence of two competing companies agreeing to “operate as one” is absolutely damning in an antitrust trial. There’s almost no context that could be given to make that statement not damning unless it turns out this was some sort of antitrust training seminar put on by the legal department and it was given as an example of what not to say when you’re giving the opportunity to collude with the competition.

Re: Google’s ‘Project Hug’ paid out huge sums to keep game devs in the Play Store

#442
post #41

Earlier quoted context omitted.

which is basically nothing compared to google/apple of today.They are basically forcing you to use them as a middle-man for any app you want. While getting a cut from all transactions. Non-google app stores cannot automatically update aps, side-loading is hidden in menus behind scary warnings. IOS forcing you to use safari no matter what, and there is no way to side-load apps, nor any non-apple app stores. chrome de…

> Non-google app stores cannot automatically update aps, They can in Android 12. > side-loading is hidden in menus behind scary warnings. The warnings are minimal. -- 1) Open Chrome. -- 2) Find and Download APK. https://i.imgur.com/ZFZb1uE.png -- 3) Accept warning and Open APK. -- 4) Go to settings. (This only has to be done once) https://i.imgur.com/R8FzTzP.png -- 5) Toggle Install Unknown Apps for Chrome. (This onl…

> If Mozilla could get their shit together, they could potentially reclaim their number one spot... but Firefox lost that spot multiple times.

Mozilla never had #1.

And I don't know what world you live in, but Google has pushed Chrome with the equivalent of billions in advertising. There's simply no way Mozilla can compete with that considering the kind of budget they're on.

If you want a fair estimate, look the time it took for Firefox to slowly grind market share from IE6, despite an abyssal difference between the two browsers.

Re: Google’s ‘Project Hug’ paid out huge sums to keep game devs in the Play Store

#443

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I see the exact same duopoly as in Apple-Google world. There's Sony and Microsoft(with no independent app stores). Nintendo isn't in the same market as the other two. Nintendo might be a running joke amongst hardcore gamers but ironically they're the most successful console manufacturer out there. The Switch is going from strength to strength and I'd estimate it will outsell the Playstation 4 before Nintendo retire…

> Nintendo might be a running joke amongst hardcore gamers but ironically they're the most successful console manufacturer out there. I don't think sales numbers are the parent comment's point. Rather, that "Xbox or Playstation" is a common enough question to imply there is direct competition (and there are lots of shared titles), whereas the Nintendo consoles exist more or less in a vacuum.

It definitely seems like a lot of people have Xbox and switch or Playstation and switch whereas only the most dedicated gamers have both an Xbox and a Playstation.

Re: Google’s ‘Project Hug’ paid out huge sums to keep game devs in the Play Store

#444
post #354

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> The difference is that the console market has real competitions which gives more leverages to developers. I see the exact same duopoly as in Apple-Google world. There's Sony and Microsoft(with no independent app stores). Nintendo isn't in the same market as the other two.

Don't Ubisoft and Epic have their own game stores inside of the playstation store? And given how hard Sony and Microsoft compete to pursuade games to be released exclusively on either platform isn't it a bit of different dynamic?

> And given how hard Sony and Microsoft compete to pursuade games to be released exclusively on either platform isn't it a bit of different dynamic?

It is different. Both Sony and MS buy studios that end up producing exclusives.

Re: Google’s ‘Project Hug’ paid out huge sums to keep game devs in the Play Store

#445

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If it's not it should be. You can't push free markets for everyone else then controlled markets for yourself (I mean you can, but it's hypocrisy). I'm tired of the double standards businesses and the capital ownership class have.

"If the penalty for a crime is a fine, then that law only exists for the lower class." -Final Fantasy Tactics

if the fine is the cost of the externality divided by the odds of getting caught, then the incentives are still aligned

Re: Google’s ‘Project Hug’ paid out huge sums to keep game devs in the Play Store

#447
post #423

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How many ISPs provide transit for the bits from Apple’s app store? Sony has a bottleneck upstream of your retail purchase that’s analogous to Apple’s App Store bottleneck. The only thing I see that’s slightly different in your example above is the ability to resell the game once you’re done with it.

No. You could then say "how many NIC manufacturers" or "how many UTP cable manufacturers" etc., as though all of them got their cut from Apple's app store (although one could reasonably argue it is true). If it is the same, why doesn't Apple allow third party stores even to re-sell apps from app store, competing on price and convenience? As this is what Sony does. I'm by no means fan of Sony, but these are two comple…

Sony doesn’t care what happens to physical copies of the game once it’s sold, hence: resale is not competition.

There’s no alternative to PlayStation getting their cut.

And it doesn’t matter anyway because brick and mortar resales are going away, PS5 has a “digital only” version of the console, and Xbox had the same thing last gen.

Re: Google’s ‘Project Hug’ paid out huge sums to keep game devs in the Play Store

#448
post #354

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> The difference is that the console market has real competitions which gives more leverages to developers. I see the exact same duopoly as in Apple-Google world. There's Sony and Microsoft(with no independent app stores). Nintendo isn't in the same market as the other two.

> I see the exact same duopoly as in Apple-Google world. There's Sony and Microsoft(with no independent app stores). Nintendo isn't in the same market as the other two. Nintendo might be a running joke amongst hardcore gamers but ironically they're the most successful console manufacturer out there. The Switch is going from strength to strength and I'd estimate it will outsell the Playstation 4 before Nintendo retire…

I consider myself a hardcore gamer, but I'm still buying an OLED Switch later this year.

If anything 'hardcore' gamers are more likely to buy a switch since they'll be deeply invested in certain franchises, vs a causal gamers who would be on IPhone

Re: Google’s ‘Project Hug’ paid out huge sums to keep game devs in the Play Store

#449

Earlier quoted context omitted.

None of those had the broad software options of windows. Everyday users who wanted to complete office tasks, use the internet, and play games were locked into windows. (The 2001 ruling also took a while and was based on pre-2001 behavior by MS and likely future behavior.)

In 2001 Linspire had a huge software library you could install from with a single click right from Click N Run (a pretty app store with the app icon, name, description, storage required and user reviews.). Firefox worked, as did Flash (hello NewGrounds!), Java (RuneScape), you could do a ton and be nigh invulnerable to all the malware on the internet of the early 2000s.

Curiously enough, 2000 was also when the first public versions of OpenOffice became available: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/OpenOffice.org

It's interesting to think that the project has survived for so long, even if nowadays the Libre office variety is more widely used.

Re: Google’s ‘Project Hug’ paid out huge sums to keep game devs in the Play Store

#450

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'll tell you a secret. Game theory and economics is mostly voodoo wrapped up in statistical mumbo-jumbo. In other words, if economists could explain what is happening, why are they poor and have to go to work to make living?

I'll tell you another secret: Basic economics works pretty well and isn't very hard. Economists are poor because there isn't any competitive advantage. Any competently-run business of any significant size should have plenty of people able to apply basic economics. Engineers who don't learn basic econ are at a disadvantage, on the other hand.

What is basic economics for you? The supply and demand model which only works if you assume 2 to 10 things (depending on the author), where atleast 1 of them is completely irrational or doesn't reflect reality?
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