Fortnite, Epic’s most popular game, was at the heart of Epic’s split with Apple
Epic’s off the App Store. But this isn’t because Epic is suing Apple for their monopolistic behaviors. Apple didn’t retaliate against Epic. In fact, Apple’s perfectly fine with allowing Epic on the App Store despite the lawsuit. So what happened? Epic chose to self-destruct. They didn’t have to release an update that allowed customers to bypass Apple’s in-app purchases, then stick to those guns when Apple asked them to remove it. Epic even released this rule-breaking update right before a new season of Fortnite, which their faithful players were excited about.
So why did Epic do this now?
To maximize user anger. They wanted to make their players upset. Epic released videos and even merchandise, asking users to force Apple to “#FreeEpic.”
Epic had planned this out in advance to hurt their own customers in the hope that their anger would be directed at Apple. Is Epic really the victim here? In fact, are we sure Epic isn’t the villain? Is this just two evil giants taking advantage of their users to strike blows against each other?
Basically? Yes.
Epic Isn’t the Good Guy Either
The only place for iOS apps: the App Store
In my last article on this, Apple came off in an overwhelmingly negative light. Big mean Apple enforcing their monopoly on developers. Now none of us get Fortnite or the Unreal Engine. But that’s not completely true. Epic could have easily sued Apple and kept their games and engines on Apple’s App Stores. They decided to make a big fuss instead.
Why stir the pot? The point is to remove faith in Apple, to create backlash against Apple, and to unite developers against the policies of the App Store. They’re hoping to trigger a boycott, either from developers or players. This could force Apple’s hand outside of a lawsuit.
Something interesting to come out of this is the fact that Epic is completely gone from the App Store. That means if you offloaded Fortnite to iCloud, because it’s a huge app, it’s gone now. You can’t get it back. This drastically undermines Apple’s model of offering iPhone users low internal storage and subscription-based cloud storage. Why use the cloud storage if Apple could delete parts of your backups? Why not get an Android phone with expandable storage and call it a day?
Let’s not forget that Epic isn’t doing this solely to get their 30% back. This isn’t something to pass saving along to players, or in the interest of other developers. Epic has their own game marketplace. They want to be able to compete with Apple.
The Epic Games Store
Of course Epic has their own alternative. Of course they have some ulterior motive. You may already know of the Epic Games Store due to controversy around exclusives. If you wanted to get your hands on some games, you may have been disappointed to find that Epic used their near monopoly on 3D game engines to get a number of exclusives for their marketplace. Most of these were temporary exclusives, but for any of Epic’s first party titles, they are permanent exclusives. You can only get Fortnite through the Epic Game Store. Even if you hate the way it’s set up, how clunky the launcher is, how long it takes to update, too bad. It’s all done through Epic.
This challenges Steam’s former monopoly on game stores, so, in some ways, it’s a good thing. At least there’s another option on the desktop. But that option is trying to use monopolistic tactics as well, and Epic’s only making a fuss right now to get on iOS. It’s not about the 30% cut Apple’s taking, it’s the 30% cut Epic could be taking.
Was This Necessary?
Buy those V-Bucks!
That’s harder to say. Epic could have at least tried a more stealthy approach for a few months. They could have tried to go through the courts without the aid of the public. Public opinion for a case can influence a decision, and it can influence legislation as well, but it isn’t going to directly or drastically change the results of a court case.
However, public opinion could help Epic shape legislation. That takes a long time for something to happen. By doing this now, before an election, and doing it right before the new season kicks off, Epic was able to cause a large stir about Apple’s monopolistic behavior at exactly the right time. They could get players riled up and force politicians to make statements about it right before an election. This was the perfect time to execute an attack, even if it means making casualties of your own players.
And that’s the real problem. In an effort to get people upset with Apple, they also set targets on their own backs. None of this was necessary. Epic could have still found ways to get players to realize they pay more for V-Bucks on iOS than anywhere else and get them really upset over it. Instead, now no one on iOS can play, and it’s upsetting a lot of fans, especially young fans who may only play on an iOS device, as well as players who may not be able to afford another way to play. Epic said these people aren’t important enough, sending a message is more important. What message did you hear?