Epic seeks 'coalition' of Apple critics as fight over App Store policies intensifies
Epic Games is looking to form a coalition of like-minded companies as it wages legal war against Apple and the tech giant's App Store business, according to a report Monday.
Screenshot from Epic's Fortnite-styled Apple ad parody.
Citing people familiar with the matter, The Information reports Epic has over the past few weeks reached out to executives at tech firms regarding the formation of a so-called "coalition" of Apple critics.
Specifics were left unreported, though Epic reportedly discussed the matter with Spotify prior to filing suit against Apple last week. The streaming music titan, a noted critic of the App Store business model that lodged its own antitrust complaint against Apple in 2019, was not yet part of the coalition as of last week, the report said.
Spotify did, however, come out in support of Epic's legal action shortly after the suit was filed, saying, "Apple's unfair practices have disadvantaged competitors and deprived consumers for far too long. The stakes for consumers and app developers large and small couldn't be higher and ensuring that the iOS platform operates competitively and fairly is an urgent task with far-reaching implications."
It remains unclear as to what purpose a formalized anti-Apple group would serve, but one unnamed source described the effort as a means to steer public perception of the iPhone maker in Epic's favor. Epic's desire to take the fight out of court and into the public arena was made clear last week when the gaming company released a short Fortnite-styled video lampooning Apple's "1984" ad. The parody hit Twitter and was broadcast in-game minutes after the lawsuit was announced.
Epic in what appears to be an attempt to bait Apple into removing the popular battle royale game from the App Store updated the app to include a direct payment option. The new payment method bypasses in-app transaction mechanisms provided by Apple and Google, a clear violation of both stores' rules. In response, Apple, and later Google, pulled the title from circulation. Epic had a lawsuit and corresponding PR strategy locked and loaded.
On Monday, Apple doubled down on its position and threatened to terminate Epic's developer account by Aug. 28 if the firm failed to fall in line with App Store guidelines. The move would impact Epic's access to SDKs, meaning the company's Unreal Engine would also be rendered unusable for hundreds of third-party iOS and Mac apps that rely on the software to function. Epic is requesting a temporary restraining order against Apple's action as it awaits a court date.
As for Epic's coalition of Apple detractors, it appears the firm was preparing for a fight well ahead of last week's legal maneuvering. Whether the gaming company will find success in creating such a group remains unclear. Many developers, even those who side with Epic on allegedly monopolistic App Store policies like fees, fear reprisal from Apple.
Indeed, one executive at an unnamed game maker said he supported measures that would lower the App Store's traditional 30% commission rate, but voiced concern that creating a coalition for the purpose could itself violate antitrust laws, today's report said.
Screenshot from Epic's Fortnite-styled Apple ad parody.
Citing people familiar with the matter, The Information reports Epic has over the past few weeks reached out to executives at tech firms regarding the formation of a so-called "coalition" of Apple critics.
Specifics were left unreported, though Epic reportedly discussed the matter with Spotify prior to filing suit against Apple last week. The streaming music titan, a noted critic of the App Store business model that lodged its own antitrust complaint against Apple in 2019, was not yet part of the coalition as of last week, the report said.
Spotify did, however, come out in support of Epic's legal action shortly after the suit was filed, saying, "Apple's unfair practices have disadvantaged competitors and deprived consumers for far too long. The stakes for consumers and app developers large and small couldn't be higher and ensuring that the iOS platform operates competitively and fairly is an urgent task with far-reaching implications."
It remains unclear as to what purpose a formalized anti-Apple group would serve, but one unnamed source described the effort as a means to steer public perception of the iPhone maker in Epic's favor. Epic's desire to take the fight out of court and into the public arena was made clear last week when the gaming company released a short Fortnite-styled video lampooning Apple's "1984" ad. The parody hit Twitter and was broadcast in-game minutes after the lawsuit was announced.
Epic in what appears to be an attempt to bait Apple into removing the popular battle royale game from the App Store updated the app to include a direct payment option. The new payment method bypasses in-app transaction mechanisms provided by Apple and Google, a clear violation of both stores' rules. In response, Apple, and later Google, pulled the title from circulation. Epic had a lawsuit and corresponding PR strategy locked and loaded.
On Monday, Apple doubled down on its position and threatened to terminate Epic's developer account by Aug. 28 if the firm failed to fall in line with App Store guidelines. The move would impact Epic's access to SDKs, meaning the company's Unreal Engine would also be rendered unusable for hundreds of third-party iOS and Mac apps that rely on the software to function. Epic is requesting a temporary restraining order against Apple's action as it awaits a court date.
As for Epic's coalition of Apple detractors, it appears the firm was preparing for a fight well ahead of last week's legal maneuvering. Whether the gaming company will find success in creating such a group remains unclear. Many developers, even those who side with Epic on allegedly monopolistic App Store policies like fees, fear reprisal from Apple.
Indeed, one executive at an unnamed game maker said he supported measures that would lower the App Store's traditional 30% commission rate, but voiced concern that creating a coalition for the purpose could itself violate antitrust laws, today's report said.
Comments
They fucked themselves completely from their own doing, with a failed campaign that only led to self sabotage. Not only did they knowingly break the terms of their agreement, they had a 62 page lawsuit ready to go along with a twisted version of Apple's classic 1984 ad as icing on the cake. Now, they're begging the courts to stop Apple from revoking all their access (which is well within Apple's rights and their only logical course of action).
Again, pathetic company.
A cart vendor rolls into a Mall, sets up shop, never consulted the management of the mall, has no contract.
After he is removed from the mall, goes down the road to another mall. does the same thing and gets kicked out.
Now the cart vendor is suing both malls for "Antitrust", and suing one of the malls to let him in anyway.. Irregardless of whether he has any legal right to do so.
I wonder who wins this one... It's probably pretty obvious.
An analogy to this was posted elsewhere, I altered it as to not plagiarize it completely..
Epic.
I imagine they'll focus on Apple because that's where they can get the most publicity.
Epic doesn't have a legal leg to stand on. They signed the contract, and they're now asking for permission to renege on that contract. Apple doesn't need better lawyers to fight this, they need shrewd marketing people to put their point of view forward.
Personally, I would make an example of Epic, which is one of the many reasons why I'm not running a trillion dollar company.
Whether 30% is fair or not isn't the issue. It's what Epic signed up for.
Welcome to 2020 where emotions are more important than facts.
— Chance The Rapper Album in July (@chancetherapper) ;;July 13, 2018
Epic stole dance moves from popular black artists and sold them to kids for a profit. The artists did not receive a penny or recognition for their work.
#BlackLivesMatter
The did sue Google as well https://appleinsider.com/articles/20/08/14/google-follows-apples-lead-boots-fortnite-from-play-store
But most developers is not most of the revenue. The big developers, that bring in the majority of revenue, don't need Apple for anything, they could do (and are doing) marketing, customer relations and payment processing just fine by themselves. If the big ones leave, that could more than 60% of the revenue. Then the AppStore has to operate below break even. Running something below break even is not in Apple's DNA.
Remember that in many legislations and countries your analogy is real and a cart vendor cannot set up an honest shop for survival anywhere simply because malls, or other government-favoured shops do not want competition (or need cheap labour/slaves). This is all fine until it is us needing to survive and make commerce, and as the world economy is going, i wouldnt think it is just something happening in an other continent.
This legal battle may be the grounds for how we and our children will be living in as short as a decade, as this will update Anti-Trust laws to global digital times. Capitalism becomes totalitarianism when monopolies go unchecked, so Anti-Trust laws are conisdered pillars of Democracy. Epic is acting so aggressively that they almost seem to want to wreck this all up in an otherwise valid case - but they are closer to 99% of humans than any monopoly will ever be.
Epic has no valid case.. They are trying to upend the app store, and in the process even if somehow they succeeded, its unlikely that things would really improve for anyone else.. It would merely show that if you legally force your will on someone its no different than totalitarianism I assume you decry..