Epic Games vs. Apple: Timeline of Events Surrounding Fortnite's Removal From App Store

[richw2000]

I don't think an organisation that sells virtual bucks, mainly to kids, can really claim they need to reduce/remove Apple's cut of the profit for the good of everybody else.

 

[Madonepro]

He’s only here to defend Apple, it’s cute how he focuses on this one game when there are countless others that do the same exact thing. He’s just pissed because Apple is being challenged, and for good reason.

Always to know, why do 'haters' of Apple, sign up to an Apple based discussion forum, and create division, and profess to be knowledgeable about seemingly everything?Whether you like Apple or not, they have an uncanny neck of taking products and services, and renewing interest in them. They say flattery is the best compliment.

 

[PC_tech]

Always to know, why do 'haters' of Apple, sign up to an Apple based discussion forum, and create division, and profess to be knowledgeable about seemingly everything?Whether you like Apple or not, they have an uncanny neck of taking products and services, and renewing interest in them. They say flattery is the best compliment.

We can still use the products and not defend the company like it's our mother 🙄

 

[reedster]

Who had even ever *heard* of fortnite before this?

Fortnite has more registered accounts than the population of the United States. I'd say a few people had heard of it.

 

[reedster]

They could always not have their product on there if they weren’t happy.

seriously, if you don't agree with the rules of the game, don't play. Fortnite can choose to not be on the App or Play store if they really didn't agree with Apple or Google's policies.

they willingly agreed to a contract set-out by Apple for a service that they were not forced to join

No-one is forcing them to continue develop for Apple products, and no-one forced them to sign up to become an Apple developer. They don't like it, there are plenty of other avenues.

Epic willingly became an Apple certified developer released content under the acknowledgement that the fee was 30%.

Who are you to tell Apple what is too much? Developers agree to it. Otherwise, make your stuff for another platform.

Insisting that you have to either accept things as they are or leave is a false dichotomy. Campaigning (or suing) for change is also a valid option. Having agreed to terms in the past doesn't preclude anyone from renegotiating them now. The problem is that most developers aren't in a position to negotiate.

I don't buy for a minute that Epic is motivated in this fight by anything more than their own profits, but I hope they can force change anyway for the sake of smaller developers and for users who should be entitled to use the hardware we paid for outright in any way we please.

 

[reedster]

We aren’t supposed to acknowledge that the mac exists in the same universe as the iphone. Otherwise we have to explain how apple made it secure while allowing software install from multiple sources and they can’t do it in an iPhone. Or maybe apple’s position is that the mac is just not secure?

Macs are more secure than PCs for two reasons: tighter control and smaller market share. iPhones only have one of those advantages.
That said, I 100% agree that we should be able to sideload apps to hardware we already paid for regardless of the security risks.

 

[cocky jeremy]

Insisting that you have to either accept things as they are or leave is a false dichotomy. Campaigning (or suing) for change is also a valid option. Having agreed to terms in the past doesn't preclude anyone from renegotiating them now. The problem is that most developers aren't in a position to negotiate.

I don't buy for a minute that Epic is motivated in this fight by anything more than their own profits, but I hope they can force change anyway for the sake of smaller developers and for users who should be entitled to use the hardware we paid for outright in any way we please.

Suing over profit margins. Good luck with that. LOL.

 

[gregohb]

The fact that Apple and Google charge the same rates and that they both blocked this move by Epic within hours of each other is so damning to each of them. It speaks to absolute collusion as together they completely own this market.

I remember buying software for Macs around 1990, and sometimes the software would just crash the machine or behave strangely. And that was on a Mac. It was far worse on Windows. Anyone could put any crap software for sale. Thats why they have an ecosystem.

I would also mention, that to develop apps for the Mac mid-1990's, I bought Metrowerks Codewarrior for $400 if I recall. Apple lets you use Xcode for free to develop - more or less free at least.

 

[TiggrToo]

Fortnite has more registered accounts than the population of the United States. I'd say a few people had heard of it.

It’s only 4% of the global population though...

 

[gregohb]

How can anyone defend Epic's behaviour?

If they don't like what they deem as a 'monopoly' - the idea that they willingly agreed to a contract set-out by Apple for a service that they were not forced to join - then they can always do the right thing and not make their games not 'free-to-play' (which itself entices users into spending huge sums of money over the lifespan of the game).

The likes of Epic Games knew the App Store guidelines from the moment they signed up to become an Apple authorised developer. If they are genuinely 'looking out' for consumers, and stand by this notion that they are freeing users/others from a monopoly, then they wouldn’t even have Fortnite available in the App Store in first place.

I don’t recall a big fuss when the App Store was tiny, and was still taking a 30% cut from literally ‘hundreds’, not millions, of downloads.

And yes, it turns out that millions of people like to purchase Apple devices and download apps. If that's a monopoly all these years on, then we've seen little fuss of it so far.

Truth is, Epic are just throwing their toys out of the pram because they know they don’t have a sustainable business model. Instead, all they care about is getting users - particularly those who are under age - to download software like this at no cost (because they are already feel entitled) and then continually spend money on intangible ‘features’.

They want an extra 30%? Do the right thing and make the software paid-for. Otherwise, there are plenty of other platforms to draw people into.

The sad part about all this of course that many young people who don't understand business practice, or the history behind 1984 as a novel or the Apple commercial, will start spreading hatred towards Apple.

Yes - it seems Epic in particular is doing this in a nasty way

 

[TiggrToo]

Yes - it seems Epic in particular is doing this in a nasty way

I have to wonder that if Fortnite wasn’t nearly as popular as it is (was?), just how many people would be so vocal in their support?

In other words, is the Epic support based upon emotive desire to play the game, or rational belief in the underlying argument?

 

[pasamio]

I have to wonder that if Fortnite wasn’t nearly as popular as it is (was?), just how many people would be so vocal in their support?

In other words, is the Epic support based upon emotive desire to play the game, or rational belief in the underlying argument?

There are plenty of people who hate Epic for the choices and decisions they've done lately who are just as emotive about wanting Apple to fight back. Epic aren't exactly the most beloved out there and they've been attempting to build their own store after failing to get Steam to capitulate to them and then using the profits from Fortnite and VC to fund free games and take games from the marketplace to make them Epic Store exclusives. The Fortnite revenues are dropping rapidly but Epic just took a $1.7 billion dollars and the first thing they do is start a legal battle with Apple and Google. Apple are fighting back hard ball in a way that might damage their greater Unreal Engine business.

There are plenty of people who have emotion to hate Apple, you can see Linus rant against the 30% as a monopoly power because Floatplane has been stung by the capriciousness of the App Store review process. I don't think anyone would say no to more money in their pockets and a lot of people are upset with Apple's general approach, that isn't even anything new. There is also the cost factor that Apple makes a profit on their phones and the App Store paired with a general belief that Apple is making too much profit and it should for some irrational reason decide to make less profit.

Looking at the various legal YouTube channels and opinion pieces, not many of them are in favour of Epic winning this case, even ones who openly state they'd like Apple to lose have conceded that Epic probably doesn't have a case.

 

[I7guy]

Insisting that you have to either accept things as they are or leave is a false dichotomy. Campaigning (or suing) for change is also a valid option. Having agreed to terms in the past doesn't preclude anyone from renegotiating them now. The problem is that most developers aren't in a position to negotiate.

I don't buy for a minute that Epic is motivated in this fight by anything more than their own profits, but I hope they can force change anyway for the sake of smaller developers and for users who should be entitled to use the hardware we paid for outright in any way we please.

Epic would have e looked a whole lot better if it didn’t pull this stunt and alienate its iOS users.

Apparently they (epic) did ask for change and got turned down.

The hardware is yours to do with as you please. The software is licensed and can’t get away from that. That said in my opinion I “hope” Apple prevails as I see it as the best thing for its customers.

 

[manu chao]

I don't think an organisation that sells virtual bucks, mainly to kids, can really claim they need to reduce/remove Apple's cut of the profit for the good of everybody else.

To some degree one might argue that they sell exactly as many bucks as they can extract from the buyers budget. Lowering Apple’s cut will thus just redirect it into Epic’s coffers with zero benefit for the end user.