Epic vs. Apple/Google
This changes allowed developer Epic Games take the full cut of the profit, when previously, Apple took 30 percent. Though Fortnite is no longer downloadable through the App Store, it's still. Epic Games Store gives you a free game every week. Come back often for the exclusive offers. Download a free game or join a free-to-play game community today.
View more storiesEpic Games fired back against Apple yet again in a new court filing, saying the iPhone maker 'has no rights to the fruits of Epic's labor,' the latest salvo in the ongoing battle between the. First released in 2017 by Epic Games, this free online video game has taken the world by storm. It originally released two game modes: Fortnite: Save the World where users battle AI zombies, and Fortnite: Battle Royale which, as its name suggests, is a 100 player vs. Player battle royale setting where everyone fights to be the last player standing.
The Arizona state House of Representatives this week passed a landmark bill that, if adopted, would require Google and Apple to allow Arizona-based app developers to choose their own alternate payment systems.
The House voted 31-29 in favor of the bill (PDF). The bill does not directly mention either major mobile platform, but it nonetheless squarely targets both, as the text specifically applies to any 'digital application distribution platform' that has more than 1 million cumulative downloads in a calendar year from Arizona users.
The text prohibits those platforms from locking either Arizona-based developers or Arizona-based users into using proprietary first-party in-app payment systems. It also prohibits platforms from retaliating against Arizona consumers or developers for opting into using a payment system 'that is not owned by, operated by, or affiliated with the provider.'
The bill, just like North Dakota's before it, applies to app stores and payment processing services on 'general-purpose hardware' such as tablets, smartphones, computers, and other similar devices, but it explicitly excludes 'special-purpose digital application distribution platforms' such as gaming consoles and music players. In short, it's a small target that means 'Google and Apple' without actually having to mention either. (As written, the bill could also apply to the Mac OS and Windows app stores, but those platforms already do not restrict developers or users the same way Android or iOS do.)
This sounds familiar...
Epic Games Mobile App
The North Dakota state Senate last month discussed an extremely similar bill but ultimately voted 36-11 against adopting the measure. Both bills are so similar largely because they're being promoted by the same organization: the Coalition for App Fairness.
AdvertisementBack in August, Fortnite developer Epic Games deliberately baited Apple by launching a short-lived alternative in-app payment system for iOS Fortnite players. Apple responded within hours by booting Fortnite off the platform, and Epic was ready. The two companies are now embroiled in a high-profile, high-stakes antitrust suit.
Epic is far from the only firm to complain about Apple's app-store practices in recent months, and a dozen other firms including Spotify, Basecamp, and Protonmail joined it to launch the coalition in September. The lobbying group, which now boasts more than 45 members, has proposed similar legislation in several other states; Arizona is the first state where either legislative chamber has advanced a bill.
Both Apple and Google sent their own lobbyists to Arizona to try to halt the bill. 'This bill tells Apple it cannot use its own checkout lane and collect a commission in the store we built,' Apple executive Kyle Andeer told Arizona lawmakers in a February hearing.
Support for the bill in the Arizona House did not break down along party lines in the way one might expect for an antitrust-related bill. While antitrust reform at the federal level is currently more likely to come from Democrats, most of the support for the Arizona bill came from Republicans. Of the 31 votes in favor, 27 came from Republican representatives, and four were from Democrats. The tally was almost exactly inverted among the 29 'nay' votes, where 25 came from Democrats, and four were from Republicans.
'I think they have a monopoly on the market right now,' said Rep. Regina Cobb, a Republican who sponsored the bill. 'There isn't anybody in here that doesn't have a Google Android or Apple phone, I guarantee it.'
Alternatively, 'Arizona does not have an interest in this fight,' Democratic Rep. Diego Rodriguez said. 'We don't have a dog in this fight—what we need to do is be focused on policies that are protecting consumers. This bill does not protect consumers—it protects a $1 billion company from another billion-dollar company.'
Hit battle royale game Fortnite is available on just about every platform you own: PC, gaming consoles, and mobile devices. Though nothing about that is changing, Epic announced a small update today that'll change how the game's icon looks on Android. Going forward, the Fortnite installer has been replaced with the Epic Games mobile app, mirroring what you see on PC.
Epic Games was criticized when it announced that Fortnite Mobile on Android wouldn't be made available through the Google Play Store — instead, players must visit the Fortnite website using their Android devices or scan a QR code on the company's desktop website, which provides the game apk.
In a tweet today, Epic announced that while nothing about this has changed, the Fortnite installer has been replaced. Instead of seeing the Fortnite icon with a character from the game, Android players will now directly download the Epic Games mobile app, which will be used to install Fortnite on Android.
This is similar to how players get the game on PC. Rather than installing the game through Steam, Epic Games decided to launch its own store called the Epic Games Store; PC players must download this, which then makes it possible to download and launch Fortnite.
The new Android download method follows Epic's confirmation that it will bring the Epic Games Store to Android sometime this year. The decision to have Android users directly download the Epic Games app in order to install Fortnite appears to be a step in that direction.
Epic Games Mobile App
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