Il July 21 2017 on the store of epic Games the game that, in the following years, would revolutionize the entire videogame world appeared for the first time. Fortnite was born as a colorful Battle Royale with a cartoonish style. The peculiarity that immediately fascinated the players is the possibility of building barriers through the use of materials collected during the game. Over time, the birth of many different ways has meant that the public became more and more fond of this title, to the point of making it one of the most downloaded games in the world. Once the enormous success of the title has been ascertained, Epic Games has decided to expand its tour even more. From the 15 Maggio 2018 (for devices Apple) and from August 9th, 2018 (for devices Android) Fortnite is also available for mobile. The game, free for all platforms, was a source of income for various companies for more than two years… until something broke. We would like to tell you that below we will tell the story in a totally impartial manner, limiting ourselves to describing the events as transparently as possible.
The breaking point
A few days ago, users noticed how the game was no longer available on the Apple Store and, a few moments later, Epic Games was keen to explain the situation. In 3 years Fortnite has reached about 350 million users, a considerable number if we consider that social networks like Twitter have much less. Being a free title, the payoff for the company comes via in-app purchases. In fact, it is possible to buy skins, items, battle passes and other exclusive contents through the shop. Since it was released the game has spawned approx one billion euros. So far no problem regarding the versions for PC, PlayStation 4 e Xbox One, where purchases are made through their official stores. The general chaos was caused by mobile telephony since according to what Epic said, in fact, Apple and Google keep 30% of every in-app purchase that takes place on their platforms.
As for iOS devices, Purchases and downloads are only permitted through the Apple Store. This makes it more secure, but forces users to use their platform. On the contrary, Google also allows downloads from other sources but, through contracts and negotiations with various companies, has managed to get some of its applications - as the Play Store, Youtube e gmail - pre-installed on each device. After Epic Games obtained a refusal from OnePlus regarding its request to pre-install its store on its devices, it decided to fight this "monopoly" and force the two companies to give users new possibilities (as well as Microsoft products had to deal with Windows).
A leap into the past ... until 1984
Before starting a real lawsuit, Epic Games decided to attack Apple directly using their own weapons. In 1984, to present the first Macintosh, a trailer inspired by the film was created Orwell 1984 just released in theaters. At the end of the movie you can read “On January 24th Apple Computer will introduce Macintosh. So you will understand why 1984 will never be like 1984 “.
By using this content, Fortnite has decided to create your own version. With the typical style of the videogame, this video-trailer was created in which, in place of the despotic man on the screen, we find an apple, a very strong provocation against Apple, especially if we also consider the final words “Epic Games has challenged the monopoly of the Apple Store. In response, Apple blocked Fortnite on a billion devices. Fight with us to prevent 2020 from becoming 1984 “.
The Google and Apple cases
The charges against Apple have been much more transparent than those against Google. What we do know is that, a few hours after the removal of Fortnite within iOS devices, the company of Brin and Page too removed the game from its own. The cause? Epic Games has created a system that it allowed the purchase directly from the application without going through the various stores. From the moment of removal, the Epic sued the two companies accusing them of monopoly. The two documents (Google Case e Apple Case), drawn up by a Californian study, are available and readable on the internet; being more than 120 pages in total, we will try to summarize what was written in them. Given the size of the story, we can't even imagine the huge amount that companies will be willing to pay to resolve the issue.
First of all it is important to specify that Epic did not request, in neither case, amounts of money as a refund. At the end of the documents they are keen to point out that their sole intent is to interrupt the monopolistic practices of the two. Both causes begin with a small introduction about the "origins" of companies. As for Google, their original motto “don't be evil” is mentioned, while Apple is again provoked by recalling their 1984 campaign against the monopoly of the IBM PC. He then continues by specifying how the two companies are at the moment at the head of their sectors. Subsequently, the cases were treated differently and separately. Inside the Apple Case we talk about the above mentioned, that is the obligation to use the Apple Store for in-app purchases and the 30% “tax” on all transactions (specifying that on average the commission of the other platforms is about 3%). Shifting the focus to Google, but always remaining rather vague, Epic says the company has been trying to make money for years Android a system more and more "closed". Google would, through commercial and contractual techniques, eliminated the rest of the competition. Although it is true that in most devices today we find pre-installed applications from this company, it is also possible to download others through online stores and web pages. We also remember that Fortnite itself it was not initially on the Play Store, but it was moved later.
Within the documents, there was no lack of the definition of Fortnite as global phenomenon citing its 350 million downloads. Continuing similarly in both causes, Epic Games tends to emphasize how mobile devices are now part of our daily life and therefore they should allow competition. Finally, the lawyers (who we remember belong to two of the most famous law firms in the United States) explained that Google offers the possibility to advertise their product through its applications. only if the download exclusivity is given to the Play Store. Furthermore, although it is possible to download applications also in a different way, it will be necessary to change the settings of the device first, and then it will then not be possible to make any updates, forcing users to fall back on their store again.
Thus ends the documents that have been made public on the web, and obviously we do not know what information has been kept hidden by the various companies. The only thing we can say is that, as in all situations, the truth is surely somewhere in between. We do not feel capable of condemning any company, as each decision was obviously made on the basis of one's own interest. Certainly Fortnite's success will not be interrupted due to this story and indeed, probably the greatest loss will be for the two stores that have thus lost a considerable amount of profit. We do not know if Epic Games will succeed in its intent, as both Apple and Google are now undisputed leaders in their sector. Who knows if, after these facts, some enterprising small company (which would have been nipped in the bud before) will be able to obtain the visibility it deserves.
We just have to wait to find out some more news about this story. We remind you to follow the hashtag on the various social networks #FreeFortnite launched by Epic Games to receive all the information. We refer you to our pages which, as usual, will not fail to be updated constantly.
