Banned from App Stores - What is Going on with Fortnite?

Banned from App Stores - What is Going on with Fortnite?

Wednesday 19th August 2020, 05:54 | written by: Gabriel Sciberras

So, you've probably heard the words "Fortnite", "App Stores" and "controversial" all in the same sentence in this past week without really understanding what's going on. In all honesty, so have I, as I've never been a dedicated fan of the battle royale. However, the situation is a lot more serious than it seems as it may affect mobile gaming for years to come. Read on as I try to get a handle on the situation. 

Understanding the App Store 

First off, let's understand how an application store works, applying to both the Apple App Store and the Google Play Store. Regardless if the game is free-to-play and has in-game purchases or costs a certain amount but has no in-game purchases, any transaction made through the game downloaded from the store, in particular, is partially accredited to the store. Like any other store, an application store purchases the product from producers/developers and resells it to the customer - a profit needs to be made somewhere. 

In the case of app stores, it's by taking roughly 20-30% of in-game transactions though this may vary depending on the contract between the store and developer. So, what did Epic Games do? 

Epic Games Tries to Be Sneaky

Out of the blue, on August 13th, Epic Games updated the options to purchase V-bucks or whatnot at a lower price of 20% less. That's great right? Sure, on PC and console this didn't make any difference as the rules aren't comparable to mobile devices here. 

On mobile devices, due to the policies imposed by Apple and Google, allowing players to avoid processing transactions through the stores and instead to directly pay Epic Games is unacceptable. Supposedly, they made the decision without consulting either store. Indeed, such a shady move violated both application store guidelines. 

And no, before typing #FreeFortnite on Twitter, you need to understand that Apple and Google are in the right here. This move by Epic Games looks incredibly greedy to me. 

Just imagine - you own a store and sell a product given to you and you take a small cut to make some profit according to a signed contract.

Now, imagine if the producer suddenly allows customers to pay him/her directly to bypass your profit while understanding that were if not for you, the product wouldn't even be available for purchase.

On all that, it's your most popular product too - so just think of all the profit you're losing. 

On that last point - we all know how popular Fortnite is. By trying to bypass Apple and Google here, both companies would probably lose quite a bit of money. For these reasons, that's why Fortnite is not available on either store at the moment. 

All-in-all, in my opinion, I stand by Apple and Google here. The move from Epic is an explicit money-grab - every other mobile game developer abides by these policies, so why should Epic Games be an exception? 

Epic Games Sues Apple and Google - Apple Shutting Down Unreal Engine 

Then, in retaliation to the removal from stores, Epic Games whipped out a lawsuit against Apple to try and: 

"end Apple’s unfair and anti-competitive actions that Apple undertakes to unlawfully maintain its monopoly in two distinct, multibillion dollar markets: (i) the iOS App Distribution Market, and (ii) the iOS In-App Payment Processing Market.

A similar lawsuit was made against Google. 

Here's Epic Games' angle to their lawsuit, as explained in the Mega Drop FAQ: 

"Epic’s position is that all mobile developers and consumers have the right to choose alternate payment providers that charge less, as is the norm on all other general-purpose computing platforms, including Web, Windows, and Mac.

We expect to see a general change in smartphone practices industry-wide for all developers that brings greater value and freedom of choice to consumers. We expect Apple to unblock Fortnite.

Before proceeding, I'd like to credit Gamespot's article as a great source for this topic and the quotes. 

Anyways, all I'd like to ask Epic Games is - how are Apple and Google meant to make a profit then? Hosting an application store doesn't sound like a free ordeal. 

Of course, I'm not 100% on the side of Apple and Google here. As a journalist, I've gotta stay open-minded. Epic Games definitely has a point in wanting more freedom of payment although completely trying to bypass policies definitely isn't the way to go here. Epic Games' stance on open gaming, allowing cloud gaming and cross-platform ecosystems is definitely one every gamer should support. 

Also, making enemies of both Apple and Google is definitely not the way to go. However, Epic Games has shown resilience against others such as Microsoft and Valve for their own policies. 

Apple, however, are taking it one step further. In response, the company has stated that they'll be removing "Unreal Engine" from Mac. As you can imagine, this will impact all developers trying to get on iOS devices and is not acceptable. All indie developers for Mac will be stopped dead in their tracks. Epic Games has thrown jabs moreso at Apple than Google, as shown in that parody video they made. 

As this situation escalates, one begins to realise that both parties have their own reasons to confront one another. 

Will Fortnite be Back on Mobile? 

Yes, it'll be back in my opinion. Soon enough, Epic Games will realise that by being removed from the store, at the end of the day, they're losing players and ultimately, money. Apple and Google have plenty of other games to support, which is quite the understatement and can easily stand their ground. 

Due to Fortnite's popularity, I'm certain that the parties involved will sort things out and resolve the situation back to normal. 

Both stances on the situations are respectable. The app stores' approach to exclusivity and fees does seem monopolistic while on the other hand, policies must be abided be and cannot simply be violated. I've tried to keep the argument as balanced as possible though at the end of the day, more details will come out over time and may shift the balance. 

Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below! 

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