Epic Games CEO Says Fortnite’s Legal Battle Against Apple & Google Is About ‘Basic Freedoms of All Consumers and Developers’
- Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney highlights that the company's battle against Apple and Google isn't financial.
- Fortnite, made by Epic Games, has tried to offer a direct payment method on iOS and Android, which was the reason for its ban.
- This isn't the first time Apple and Google are accused of being anti-competitive, but it's the most well-organized effort yet.
Without any doubt, one of the most heated discussions online right now is focused around Fortnite’s sudden (yet well planned) decision to go against Apple and Google. We've heard plenty of statements from various parties, both involved and outside of this event. And now, Epic Games CEO has now decided to share his views as well.
Using his Twitter account, Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney made sure to clarify the company's intentions. He says that his decision to go against Apple and Google isn't about money. Instead, it's about "the freedom of people who bought smartphones to install apps from sources of their choosing." Therefore, as per Sweeney's statements, the problem is that companies such as Apple and Google have too much power when it comes to controlling both developers and users – as these two groups can't "do business directly."
At the most basic level, we’re fighting for the freedom of people who bought smartphones to install apps from sources of their choosing, the freedom for creators of apps to distribute them as they choose, and the freedom of both groups to do business directly.
— Tim Sweeney (@TimSweeneyEpic) August 14, 2020
Sweeney also notes that this action's goal isn't about money, or Epic Games getting special treatment on Apple's App Store or Google's Play Store. Instead, it's about creating an equal opportunity for game and app developers who decide to offer their software creations on iOS and Android.
To get a full sense of the scope of this event, allow us to remind you that this feud began only a few days ago. That's when Epic Games issued an update for Fortnite, implementing a direct payment method into the iOS and Android versions of the game. In essence, this action allowed players to go around Apple's and Google's payment methods, which is against both of these companies' rules. As a result, Fortnite has been removed from both Apple’s and Google’s app stores.
Epic Games has defied the App Store Monopoly. In retaliation, Apple is blocking Fortnite from a billion devices.
Visit https://t.co/K3S07w5uEk and join the fight to stop 2020 from becoming "1984" https://t.co/tpsiCW4gqK
— Fortnite (@FortniteGame) August 13, 2020
In the meantime, Epic Games submitted a 62-page legal complaint and lawsuit in addition to a video parodying Apple’s “1984” commercial. The company has entered the same legal battle against Google as well.
In the background of these latest events are often-raised complaints about Apple's 30% cut, which many developers feel is anticompetitive. Apple CEO Tim Cook testified in an antitrust investigation only a few weeks ago, dismissing all of those accusations, adding that Apple doesn't have a dominant market share in any market the company does business. It's clear that Epic Games strongly disagrees with those statements, which is the reason why the company has entered this (what's likely going to be a lengthy) legal battle.