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Fortnite Introduces Direct Payment Option on iOS Despite Apple's App Store Review Guidelines [Updated]
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I think you may have got this backwards.
What? Fortnite is owned by Epic Games, an American company.
A Chinese company owns 40% of epic
Well, they're not passing ALL the savings to the players. $9.99-30% = $6.99 not $7.99.
I dont agree with a lot Apple is doing lately with their alleged hardware (or missing via the rumors) or certain App Store policies like the xcloud issue; Apple is flat out wrong there.
But I agree here. You want an app in front of a few billions customers you have to pay for it. Apple built that customer base with their own money and work; it's not a free resource.
The same way if you want to advertise on Google search you have to pay for it. Their subscriber base isnt free to anyone who wants to access it to push ads to. Google spends billions of dollars over years building that up.
There is clearly enough money in Fortnite to keep it active too. Id love to see their revenue numbers even after Apple's 30% cut.
" In 2019, Fortnite brought in revenues of $1.8 billion. While most console releases make money from selling a hard copy or digital version of the game itself, Fortnite's revenue comes entirely from microtransactions. " $1.8 billion in 1 year on 1 game, 2018 was purportedly $2.4 biliion..... The poor boke dears!!!
But I agree here. You want an app in front of a few billions customers you have to pay for it. Apple built that customer base with their own money and work; it's not a free resource.
The same way if you want to advertise on Google search you have to pay for it. Their subscriber base isnt free to anyone who wants to access it to push ads to. Google spends billions of dollars over years building that up.
There is clearly enough money in Fortnite to keep it active too. Id love to see their revenue numbers even after Apple's 30% cut.
" In 2019, Fortnite brought in revenues of $1.8 billion. While most console releases make money from selling a hard copy or digital version of the game itself, Fortnite's revenue comes entirely from microtransactions. " $1.8 billion in 1 year on 1 game, 2018 was purportedly $2.4 biliion..... The poor boke dears!!!
Let me get this straight. Apple charges 30%. They give you a 20% discount. Meaning they get an extra 10%. Sounds like we know the winner.
As a user, i love being able to just press buy and scan my face. Its awesome. Everyone here cheering about 3rd party payments obviously werent alive in the 90s when it was hell to do anything. This is a horrible downward spiral for users we are getting into just so publishers can save a buck.
As a dev, I think its fair for apple to take a cut on their platform and their payment system. Thats what iOS is. It's a seamless experience. If you want to drop the price 30% and have a god awful experience, publish on android.
These publishers also need to be careful. The reason iOS users spend so much more is because its so easy. As soon as you open up having to sign up for another payment service, people will back out because its too much effort, and having both options will cause people to not want to spend the extra money. You will end up with people just backing out.
As a dev, I think its fair for apple to take a cut on their platform and their payment system. Thats what iOS is. It's a seamless experience. If you want to drop the price 30% and have a god awful experience, publish on android.
These publishers also need to be careful. The reason iOS users spend so much more is because its so easy. As soon as you open up having to sign up for another payment service, people will back out because its too much effort, and having both options will cause people to not want to spend the extra money. You will end up with people just backing out.
Great! Don't like Fortnite myself, but great move from Epic Games!
Publishers don't save a buck.....they just pass it up to the customer..... I'll gladly type a password if I get Apple's 30% cut
Epic has a monopoly on selling in-game items in Fortnite.They take advantage of this monopoly and charge exorbitant prices. As a developer, I demand that Epic provide an API that allows third parties to develop in-game items and sell them in-game.
I think they are literally daring Apple to do anything about it here.
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Most likely a server-side update.
Hmmm ok........fail to see how's that even remotely similar. iOS is well, as it name implies and Operating System, which provides a platform for third party developers. Fortnite is a piece of SW with a single purpose (otherwise known as a game).
Smack them right in the face with the ban hammer. It's a stupid game anyway.
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They'd just get replaced by others.. so have at it.
From reading (cant verify) it appears on Android too.
Want 100% of the profits. Dont have to pay anyone for the free billions of subscribers they get to put their game in front of that these platforms built up. Good luck with that one!
This appears to be the only industry people dont feel they have to pay to advertise; yes the app store is an advertisement too by getting it in front of billions of eyes (charts, recommended etc).
Im sure Sony and MS charge $0 and 0% cut too, they dont want a dime from any game
Want 100% of the profits. Dont have to pay anyone for the free billions of subscribers they get to put their game in front of that these platforms built up. Good luck with that one!
This appears to be the only industry people dont feel they have to pay to advertise; yes the app store is an advertisement too by getting it in front of billions of eyes (charts, recommended etc).
Im sure Sony and MS charge $0 and 0% cut too, they dont want a dime from any game
Yeah great move, banning one of the most popular games out there, I'm sure that will help Apple's popularity. You are all pro-consumer, aren't you?
Yet the price epic is charging through their direct payment option is only 20% cheaper
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How popular is the mobile version versus on pc and console
Don't know,not really into this game myself (or any freemium game for that matter) but I always see it at the top of popularity listing in iOS, so I guess it must be big.
They probably send the purchaser a postcard in the mail with the image of 1,000 V-Buck which makes it a physical purchase.
So here is the question(s).
1) Is Apple charging too much (30% for the first year i believe, 15% every year after)?
2) Who should pay for Apple setting up the store, maintaining it, securing it, and making it so easy to use?
3) If there is no Apple Store, would you still use an iOS device?
4) Would you as customer trust any other competing "app" store on your iOS device?
5) If developers are right, how come there are so many apps on the app store?
6) If the developers are right, why not stop developing on Apples platform?
Every store has to make money, be it retail or virtual. They all sell products that they have to make money on (Markup) in order to provide that store to the customers. Everything that goes into it is maintained by the owners of the store. The merchandise that is in the store costs the owner money to buy. They make money by reselling it AND marking it up by whatever they see fit (what the market will bare). This is NORMAL. If you want to make your own store, you can go ahead and do so. But Apple WILL NOT LET YOU PUT YOUR APP ON THEIR DEVICES. Because they are not going to deal with YOUR BS when things go badly. This isn't hard to understand. Money is part of it, of course. BUT, Apple 100% prides itself in controlling the ENTIRE experience on the iOS devices.
When Apple moves all products to Apple Silicon. Then sell that same app via the Mac side how every you like.
1) Is Apple charging too much (30% for the first year i believe, 15% every year after)?
2) Who should pay for Apple setting up the store, maintaining it, securing it, and making it so easy to use?
3) If there is no Apple Store, would you still use an iOS device?
4) Would you as customer trust any other competing "app" store on your iOS device?
5) If developers are right, how come there are so many apps on the app store?
6) If the developers are right, why not stop developing on Apples platform?
Every store has to make money, be it retail or virtual. They all sell products that they have to make money on (Markup) in order to provide that store to the customers. Everything that goes into it is maintained by the owners of the store. The merchandise that is in the store costs the owner money to buy. They make money by reselling it AND marking it up by whatever they see fit (what the market will bare). This is NORMAL. If you want to make your own store, you can go ahead and do so. But Apple WILL NOT LET YOU PUT YOUR APP ON THEIR DEVICES. Because they are not going to deal with YOUR BS when things go badly. This isn't hard to understand. Money is part of it, of course. BUT, Apple 100% prides itself in controlling the ENTIRE experience on the iOS devices.
When Apple moves all products to Apple Silicon. Then sell that same app via the Mac side how every you like.
Yeah. I see millions not buying iPhones because of Fortnite. lol.