Apple recently removed the popular game Fortnite from the App Store thrownThe title is also missing from the Google Play Store. The reason for this is a violation of the current App Store and Play Store guidelines. Epic Games has now spoken out again.
Epic Games has created a real hit title with Fortnite. The game is said to have brought in around two billion US dollars in the App Store alone in 2019. But now that is over for the time being. App providers are known to be obliged to use Apple or Google's in-house payment system. A fee of 30 percent is then charged on the revenue generated, which both Apple and Google charge in their own store. For this reason, Epic has now made short work of it and introduced its own payment method in Fortnite. However, this is a violation of the applicable App Store guidelines, which is why the application was removed from the digital marketplace shortly afterwards. removed In response, Epic filed a lawsuit against Apple and Google.
"It's about the fundamental freedoms of consumers"
As AppleInsider reported, Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney sent out a series of tweets on Friday explaining that the litigation is more about choice for consumers and developers than a way for the company to make more money from its customers.
At the most basic level, we are fighting for the freedom of people who have purchased smartphones to install apps from sources of their choosing, for the freedom of app developers to distribute them as they please, and for the freedom of both groups to do business directly.
Some observers now accuse the company of wanting to make more money. That is, the legal dispute is only about money. But Sweeney disagrees. This story is more about "the basic freedoms of all consumers and developers."
“Apple and Google are middlemen”
Another argument against supporting #FreeFortnite is that this is just a billion dollar company fighting for money with a trillion dollar corporation. But this isn't about Epic wanting a special deal, this is about the basic freedoms of all consumers and developers.
Sweeney argues that the rules and fees of Apple and Google's app stores harm developers and distance players from developers.
After all, there's nothing wrong with fighting for money... You work hard to earn that stuff. When you spend it, it depends on how it's divided up, whether your money is funding game development or is taken by middlemen who use their power to separate players from game designers.
How this will all end up remains exciting. Apple itself has been facing accusations of anti-competitive behavior and monopolistic control over the App Store for some time. Both the House Judiciary Committee and the European Commission have already Investigation launched. Therefore, the timing that Epic Games chose for the attack is not particularly surprising. Whether this will help, however, remains to be seen. (Image: Epic Games)