By Gamesforum Staff

The North Dakota state legislature in Bismarck will this week vote on legislation that would force Google and Apple to allow app developers to use 3rd party payment systems in their app store. Should the legislation pass it could have far reaching consequences for games publishers who are forced to pay up to 30% of revenues generated by IAP to Apple and Google in commissions. The New York Times reports that the legislation was originally brought to the attention of ND State by lobbyists working on behalf of publishers including Epic Games.

Similar bills are due to be voted in other states legislatures including Georgia and Arizona, suggesting that the Epic vs Google and Apple fight is developing on many fronts. The struggle could have far reaching consequences for games developers, and could lead to a wave of relocations to states enabling such labs in order to avoid app store commissions.