Epic Games and Apple have gone head-to-head in a predictable but nonetheless seismic battle which could have huge repercussions for the ecosystem.
Epic fired the first salvo earlier today announcing a preferential rate on Fortnite’s in-game currency V-Bucksbought via its own payment system rather than acquired using the standard app store methods, for which Apple and Google would receive their customary 30 per cent cut.
Apple struck back with a succinct statement and a rapid ban, removing Fortnite from the App Store and essentially making the game unplayable on its devices.
Nineteen Eighty-More?
Yet Epic was clearly prepared, immediately filing a legal complaint in a California court, publishing a social media statement – invoking the hashtag #freefortnite – and announcing an in-game screening of a film titled Nineteen Eighty-Fortnite, a provocative jibe at Apple, not so subtly equating them with the dystopian controlling society of George Orwell’s classic novel 1984.
The fact that Apple itself had lampooned IBM in a similar way in an advertising campaign (in 1984 in fact), was an entirely intended irony, as Epic Games appeared to refer to this in its public statement: “Apple has become what it once railed against: the behemoth seeking to control markets, block competition, and stifle innovation.”
The court filing alleges that Apple is running an effective monopoly and in keeping with previous statements from Epic’s CEO Tim Sweeney takes issues with the demand of using Apple’s payment system and the 30 per cent revenue cut.
Whilst this is by no means the first game to fall foul of Apple’s regulations or the first developer to take issue with policies, the sheer scale of Fortnite suggests this war could have some time to run and could have huge implications for the whole of the mobile gaming world.
It’s also worth noting that Google’s response to Epic’s move has yet to be revealed.
