Should Epic Back Down In The Fight Against Apple

Since the rising success of Fortnite, Epic Games has sought only to roll their traction into a massive enterprise. From the outside, it seemed they were well on their way to doing so. They already had Unreal Engine, a massively successful game engine used by countless Shooters and MMOs, and once Fortnite climbed to the top of the charts, it only made sense for them to use their leverage to start their own game storefront.

Epic Games was soaring like Icarus. Only instead of crashing into the sun, they crashed into the world’s most powerful and influential company, Apple Inc.

There is no doubt if you walk down the street, almost everyone you see will be holding a phone with a half bit apple on the back. Apple is beloved by people of every generation, background, and profession. And despite how you may feel about their technology, you can not deny that Apple has done countless acts to better the world. The App Store, however, is Apple’s most significant venture, and the one Epic Games is challenging in open court.

The App Store was created in 2008 and has created enterprises, jobs, and entire worlds no one could have ever predicted. It hosts apps where you can buy food, catch a ride, play a game, and even identify stars in the sky. To create an app for the App Store, you only need $99 and a dream. Once you publish it, you only have to follow the App Store guidelines, and you are well on your way to being in over 1.4 billion pockets.

Apple has made an evident commitment to continuing the pursuit of growth for the mobile gaming industry. In yesterday’s keynote, Apple made it a point to bring League Of Legends into the spotlight as they are set to launch on iOS. This will undoubtedly increase the games active player base and help expand them into the hands of a new audience.

For this level of constant exposure and opportunity, Apple, like most other virtual storefronts, charges a fee on any revenue you collect. For in-app purchases and subscriptions, that fee is 30%. This fee is also used by Microsoft, Google, Steam, and more.

When Fortnite added a way for users to purchase their in-game currency for cheaper and avoid the 30% Apple tax, it sparked massive controversy, and Fortnite was pulled from the App Store.

Since the pull-down, Apple and Epic have been battling it out, and each side has had small victories. Apple was forced to allow Unreal Engine to continue operating on its platform, and Epic Games was blocked from having Fortnite returned to the App Store. But no side is genuinely winning in this fight.

Epic Games tried to rally this into a “takedown Apple” fight that shortly died after little to no momentum. In fact, very few content creators and streamers ever even publicly supported the Fortnite developer in this debacle. All this has hurt Fortnite’s growth, and Apple has lost a small and undamaging percentage of its revenue.

The outlook on this case is bleak for Fortnite. Google is now joined with Apple and is battling in their own case against Epic Games for the same reasons. As other games continue to prospering the pocket and more are heading towards the mobile industry, I think it is time for Fortnite to throw in the towel.

If Epic Games truly cares about the future of Fortnite and its player base, it will come to an agreement with Apple to restore their status on the App Store. Whether you believe if a 30% cut is far, it is the industry standard at this time, and if that is going to change, it will take time and more than just Epic Games to win that fight. All Epic is doing is hurting its players, game, and pockets to lose an unwinnable battle.

What are your thoughts on Epic vs Apple? Let me know in the comments below or @Suttledge on Twitter!