Patreon creators will need to make some changes soon, thanks to Apple. On Wednesday, Patreon said Apple has renewed its requirement that all Patreon creators must move to subscription billing. The deadline to do so is November 1, 2026.

Patreon's blog post announcing the change made it clear that it had no other choice. "We strongly disagree with this decision," the company wrote. "Creators need consistency and clarity in order to build healthy, long-term businesses. Instead, creators using legacy billing will now have to endure the whiplash of another policy reversal — the third such change from Apple in the past 18 months."

Up to this point, Patreon’s billing model has operated in a gray area, allowing its creators to charge fans outside the App Store without paying Apple’s fees. When the issue first surfaced, TechCrunch described it as stemming from how paid content was accessed (only some creators offered content that could be consumed in-app). On Wednesday, a Patreon representative described the gray area as being “because Apple’s In-App Purchase system doesn’t support some of Patreon’s longstanding billing models.”

But now Apple has reimposed its subscription mandate, eliminating the gray area. "We know that Apple is serious about enforcing this mandate," Patreon wrote. "Late last year, they blocked a Patreon app update and made it clear that in order to remain in the App Store, we have to comply with their billing requirement. Because millions of fans use iOS as their primary way to access Patreon and connect with creators, having our app blocked — or not available in the App Store at all — isn't an option."

Patreon’s "whiplash" description isn't hyperbole. Apple first announced the mandate in 2024. At that time, the deadline for all Patreon creators to make the switch was set to November 2025 — one that Patreon grudgingly accepted. But according to the company, Apple told it last May that the original 2025 deadline was no longer in effect. Now, it appears to have reversed that again.

If there's a silver lining, TechCrunch notes that only 4 percent of Patreon creators are using the affected (legacy) billing models. And fans can still bypass Apple's fees on iOS by joining via their iPhone's web browser. Patreon has much more detail for creators in its announcement post.

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As for Apple, well, this familiar role of "Big, Bad App Store Taxman" pales in comparison to some of its other recent headlines. For starters, there was its removal of the ICEBlock app (and another that logged ICE arrest recordings) in October. At least as concerning is an app category that the “Privacy is a human right” company won't remove. Grok, X and (reportedly) dozens of other apps now allow iPhone owners to "digitally undress" real people, including children. 28 advocacy groups even called on the company to remove them, to no avail.

To top it all off, Tim Cook decided that Saturday — the day Alex Pretti was shot and killed by federal agents — would be a good time to attend the screening of Melania at the White House. He even posed for a selfie with accused rapist Brett Ratner, the film’s director.

Update, January 28, 2026, 5:22 PM ET: This story has been updated to clarify how the Patreon app operated in a gray area before Apple’s changes.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/patreon-creators-have-to-switch-to-subscription-billing-by-november-thanks-to-apple-203759852.html?src=rss

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When deciding which video game to buy, "Is it fun?" is no longer the only consideration. Given the state of the industry, "Do I want to support this company?" is arguably more important. Take, for example, Ubisoft, where things seem to unravel more each day. After the floundering publisher floated even more layoffs this week, workers at its Paris headquarters said, "Enough is enough." They're now calling for a three-day strike.

Unions representing Ubisoft employees plan to strike from February 10 to 12. "With management being stubbornly entrenched in its authoritarian ways, we are calling Ubisoft employees across France to join this strike, along with the five unions present within the company," The Syndicat des Travailleureuses du Jeu Vidéo (Video Game Worker's Union) wrote in a statement.

The strike follows a series of heavy-handed cost-cutting moves at Ubisoft. It recently shut down its Halifax studio just 16 days after employees unionized. Last week, it closed its Stockholm studio and announced additional restructuring efforts worldwide. It also canceled six games and delayed seven others.

Then, earlier this week, the Assassin's Creed publisher proposed cutting 200 jobs at its Paris headquarters. Under French labor law, the company would organize the cuts through the nation's Rupture Conventionnelle Collective (RCC) process. It would require a mutual agreement between the company and the labor union.

ROBYN BECK via Getty Images

Adding even more fuel to the fire, Ubisoft will now require workers to return to the office five days each week. (The company had previously agreed to two work-from-home days per week.) Although Ubisoft framed the mandate as being about efficiency and collaboration, it's easy to view this as a cudgel to further reduce its headcount. One Ubisoft developer, who hinted as much while voicing his opposition to the mandate on LinkedIn, said he was suspended without pay for three days as a punitive measure.

The workers' union saw all of this and decided it was time to act. "We're calling for a HALT to management's obsession with penny-pinching and worsening our working conditions," the Syndicat des Travailleureuses du Jeu Vidéo wrote. "It's time for a real accountability from company executives, starting from the top! Without the workers, and generous public funding, Ubisoft would never have been able to grow this much. WE are Ubisoft, and WE are shutting it down February 10th to 12th!"

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/ubisoft-173241918.html?src=rss

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