Overview of Epic Games against Apple, Google

Tram Ho

Toàn cảnh đại chiến Epic Games chống Apple, Google - Ảnh 1.

Why Epic sued Apple and Google?

On August 13, Epic Games announced a 20% permanent discount on V-Bucks – the virtual currency in the Fortnite game – but only applicable to the PC and console versions. They cannot offer similar discounts to mobile players because Apple and Google enjoy 30% of the total revenue for in-app purchases through the App Store and Play Store. So Epic Games guides people to use their direct payments system to get the best price.

However, by bypassing the payment systems of Apple and Google, Epic Games violated the policy, resulting in the two companies removing Fortnite from the app market. Epic Games immediately countered by suing both Apple and Google and released the video of Apple’s most famous ad remake. Epic Games denounced the two giants of engaging in monopolistic behavior with its app marketplace policy.

Why does Epic say the Apple and Google policies are unfair?

For years, developers like Epic Games have been annoyed about the 30% fee Apple and Google enjoy for in-app purchases. They think that Apple and Google can only do that because they both dominate the mobile operating system market. It’s nearly impossible to download apps outside of the marketplaces that Apple and Google offer.

In the Google lawsuit, Epic Games insisted that through a series of design, technical and legal obstacles, including the persistent security warning pop-up, Google turned itself into a middleman. inevitable between Android developer and user.

On the FAQ section on the website, Epic Games accused Apple of not treating all developers fairly. Apple allows thousands of applications such as Amazon, Grubhub, Best Buy … to pay directly.

Who is on Epic’s side?

Some major developers agree with Epic Games. Spotify, which sued Apple last year for a monopoly, said that “Apple’s unfair behavior has been detrimental to competitors and deprived users of too long”. A Match Group spokesperson, owner of the dating apps Tinder, Hinge, Match, OkCupid, said fully in support of Epic Games’ effort to show Apple using its monopoly position and its policy of inequality do. hurt customers, app developers and entrepreneurs.

What do Apple and Google say?

In announcing its decision to remove Fortnite from the App Store, Apple asserted its policy of creating a level playing field for all developers and making the market safe for everyone. Apple also claims that developers like Epic Games have benefited from the App Store ecosystem, which includes tools, testing, and distribution.

Google made a similar announcement for the Epic Games lawsuit and stressed the open Android ecosystem that allows developers to distribute apps across multiple markets.

Why is this battle important?

It seems that the App Store policy violation is part of the Epics Games’ larger plan to “trap” Apple to incite them to use huge power over the developer community. Before that, both Apple and Google were turned before the US Congress because of monopoly issues, preventing competition.

Apple CEO Tim Cook was questioned about how to treat programmers, while Google CEO Sundar Pichai was faced with questions about how Google uses search results to prioritize individual products.

Apple and Google both encountered many exclusive lawsuits and investigations from the authorities. The Epic Games lawsuit only added fuel to the fire. In addition, Epic Games proved to be an annoying opponent because their success simply did not depend on Google or Apple. Not only available on iOS and Android, Fortnite can also be played on computers, game consoles like Xbox One, PlayStation 4.

Du Lam (According to BI)

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Source : Genk