
As Epic attacks Apple and Google, it ignores the same problems on consoles - furcyd
https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2020/08/as-epic-attacks-apple-and-google-it-ignores-the-same-problems-on-consoles/
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yupyup54133
It would be interesting if Epic went ahead an released FortNite on the iPhone
AltStore instead ([http://altstore.io](http://altstore.io)).

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zepto
Epic’s argument is that it should be allowed to operate a profit making
storefront on the iPhone.

Firstly, they have done absolutely zero of the work needed to make the
platform into the giant international success that it is.

And secondly - they are complaining about making insufficient profits from
FortNite, which is an addictive video game which makes its money from selling
in-game currency to children.

When we compare the value that Apple has added to the world by building the
App Store ecosystem, to the value that these in-game purchases are adding to
the world, and for which they are claiming they should be able to profit more
from, it’s hard to make the case that Epic is somehow being deprived of some
just reward for their contribution.

I don’t think it’s wrong for Epic to be able to do business the way they do.

But clearly there is no moral case to be made for the claim that Epic has
better business practices than Apple or they they are some kind of victim
here.

It took more than a decade for the iPhone to get to where it has - longer if
you consider the iPod as the foundation of the success the iPhone continued.

Given the giant inflows of cash they are receiving there is no reason why Epic
couldn’t start building their own platform.

Console makers have proven that this is a profitable business, and we are
about to see a wave of think client devices that play streaming games. Apple
is clearly vulnerable to disruption in the gaming space.

If Epic wants a platform, they can build one, and it will take a similar
amount of work to what it took Apple.

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gamblor956
_Firstly, they have done absolutely zero of the work needed to make the
platform into the giant international success that it is._

Epic is the reason that iOS is a gaming megahouse today.

Infinity Blade, i.e., the game that Apple itself used to demonstrate the
iPhone's gaming abilities, was created using Unreal Engine. Epic provided a
substantial amount of assistance to the developer to get the game made.

 _But clearly there is no moral case to be made for the claim that Epic has
better business practices than Apple or they they are some kind of victim
here._

Apple has done none of the work of creating the billions of $$$ in valuable
apps. Why do they get to claim 30% of that? There's a term for that: rent-
seeking. (Also, greed, if you want the moral term.)

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pjmlp
Without Apple there wouldn't be iOS devices for Epic to sell their games on,
that is what Apple has done.

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gamblor956
Without Apple there would be Windows Phone, Blackberry, and Android devices
for Epic to sell games on.

~~~
pjmlp
With the same percentages that Epic isn't willing to pay for, actually on
Blackberry it was even higher than 30% back in the old days.

Epic has been kicked out of Android as well, and as this Ars Technica article
shows, they are more than happy to pay XBox tax.

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saghm
> Epic has been kicked out of Android as well

Is that really accurate? Android supports sideloading, which I think is how
they first brought Fortnite to Android. They might have been kicked out of the
Google Play store, but that's not the same thing.

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pjmlp
AOSP supports sideloading, if a given device supports it depends pretty much
on the OEM, besides that is a feature that requires technical expertise and
ignoring a couple of warnings about possible malware.

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saghm
I've seen devices with with locked bootloaders, but I've honestly never seen
an Android device without the ability to sideload (even if it's disabled by
default). That's not to say I don't believe you that some OEMs disable it; I
don't think it's particularly common though.

