Delta emulator triples Apple’s prices to encourage external clicks

The Delta gaming emulator is now providing a link to sign up for Patreon-exclusive membership perks directly within the iOS app in Apple’s US App Store. Developer Riley Testut is heavily encouraging users to click that external link by tripling the price you’d otherwise pay to Apple for In-App Purchase versions of those same Patreon tiers. Testut calls it the “do not buy sale.”

The update both embraces and protests the External Purchase Link Entitlement that Apple introduced in January, which allows developers to link to outside payment platforms in exchange for giving Apple a slightly reduced 27 percent cut of sales. The App Store policy change was made following rulings in the Epic vs Apple lawsuit that found Apple had acted anticompetitively by preventing developers from telling users about payment methods that bypassed its own payment system.

Testut says Delta is likely the first app to use the entitlement. The $3, $5, and $10 monthly memberships on Patreon — which provide additional benefits like iPad and SEGA Genesis support, and private Discord access depending on the subscription tier — are listed in the iOS app at $10, $15, and $30, respectively.

“We really don’t want people to use in-app purchase,” Testut told The Verge. “We’ve been using Patreon for years, and it allows us to do things Apple’s IAP system can’t — such as issuing refunds and handling customer support — making it much more convenient for creators like us.”