Cognition Dissemination: Epic’s Fortnite Battle Is Already a Messy Royale
Epic Games is embroiled in an absolute hell of a battle against Apple and Google partly of their own creation, and the emphasis on “hell” is progressively flaring up on what feels like a daily basis. It started when Epic implemented an update that included cheaper microtransactions in Fortnite that could be purchased in the game, without the need for the user to buy them through the App Store or Google Play. This way, the profits would all go directly to the developer, Epic in this case, without Apple and Google claiming a small chunk on every purchase. This is, of course, in direct defiance of the policies Apple and Google have, both of which responded in kind mere hours after the changes went live.
The game was delisted from both services, something Epic dared them to do with one of the most popular apps on the platforms. Now that they have, they’ve activated a trap card Epic laid, to counter this response by filing a lawsuit against them in the Northern District of California’s federal District Court, one rife with pointed and accurate criticisms. Epic accuses Apple of being a behemoth that seeks to “control markets, block competition and stifle innovation.” They accuse Google of breaking its well-known promise to “Don’t Be Evil” by doing the same.
The CEOs of Apple and Google, Tim Cook and Sundar Pichai, respectively, recently testified to lawmakers of the US House of Representatives as part of an antitrust investigation, to look into whether tech companies have become too powerful and should be subjected to further regulations. The Department of Justice is also running its own antitrust probe in the App Store for ostensibly similar reasons. Tech companies have become powerful and should be regulated, but certain lawmakers would love to regulate them for their own nefarious means thanks to made-up “censorship” claims — those who are otherwise anti-regulation. (Read: They’re conservatives.)
None of this, of course, stopped Epic from taking advantage of the timing to help influence public opinion and potentially the judiciary. But therein lies the nefariousness of this move on their part. It shouldn’t be news to anyone now that a lot of people play Fortnite, including on their phones, but a significant portion of its player base consists of young people. Those kids would love to continue paying lower prices for microtransactions. Now that they can’t, they’re directing their ire towards Apple and Google, the malignant enemies denying them discounts and the ability to download it at all. It’s very bad that Epic, themselves a faceless corporation, is manipulating impressionable young people in their fight against two other faceless corporations.
Too many discussions have become insufferable with people taking sides and accusing the others of being the real corporate shills. Anyone defending apple and Apple and Google has been accused of being fine with Walled Gardens and pro-megacorp, as if Epic doesn’t have a garden of their own (and has paid for third-party timed exclusives, a first for a PC platform) and isn’t a big corporation themselves that wouldn’t turn away the chance to be a megacorp. Today’s corporation can be tomorrow’s megacorporation, a tale as old as modern time. Those who side with Apple and Google are accusing Epic of playing victim, though the critiques of the App Store and Google Play policies are good, however unoriginal. I hate to be one of those people who says “both sides are bad here” because it’s often the dumbest thing anyone can say in any given situation. But here’s a rare one where this applies.
This is already crazy, but Apple is really turning the heat up now. Epic confirmed that Apple plans to suspend their inclusion in the Apple Developer Program, which companies like Epic use to distribute development tools to iOS developers, on August 28th. There are a lot of mobile games that use Epic Unreal Engine 4, and the wording implies that developers will no longer be able to use the engine after that date. I cannot emphasize how large the repercussions will be here, which could scuttle plans for developers to release games that use UE4. It shows that Apple isn’t pussyfooting around, the equivalent of accepting a duel by bringing an entire damned army to the fight.
It’s possible Epic overplayed their hand here, but this will depend on whether a judge honors their request to stop Apple’s move. The courts are anything but efficient, but a decision will have to be made in days given how quickly Apple is moving here.
If you think this is wild now, just wait until the full court case gets underway. We haven’t even started to see the depths of the craziness that Apple (and potentially Google) can unleash on Epic in the near future, and how considerably more intense the flame wars will become among fans. It’s going to be unfathomably inane, but also kind of entertaining for anyone with no stake in either company. The consequences will be considerably larger for Epic Games if they lose, so they’d better make the most convincing case they can.
This whole battle is only further unraveling by the day, and the next twist could come by the time you even read this. Just think about what could (or will?) happen if politicians step into this battle and attempt to weaponize it in their antitrust battles against Big Tech. Keep an ample supply of popcorn around.
About The Author
Geoff
News Editor | Geoff is some nerd who writes for a blog and thinks he's knowledgeable. He write a lot about video games, but is capable of writing about other subjects, too. Twitter
