Epic and Samsung send 'Free Fortnite' care package with jacket, Galaxy Tab S7 to influence...

AppleInsider · December 21, 2020 11:09PM

Epic Games and Samsung are teaming up on a guerilla marketing campaign that seeks to publicize the developer's legal battle with Apple over App Store policies and restrictions.

An unknown number of internet influencers were this week sent a care package that includes a "Free Fortnite" jacket and Samsung's Galaxy Tab S7. The $160 Alpha Industries MA-1 bomber jacket is embroidered front and back with a rainbow colored llama -- a take on Apple's original logo -- and "Free Fortnite" text. Samsung's Galaxy Tab appears to be a stock unit.

Packaged in an Apple-style box complete with llama logo, the gift contains a small insert with stickers and an informational card.

Hi there,
Fortnite was named the Samsung Galaxy Store Game of the Year for 2020. In celebration, we've teamed up with Samsung to send you a special box of #FreeFortnite gear.
While Fortnite may not currently be available on the App Store or Google Play, you can still get the latest Fornite updates directly from the Epic Games app on the Galaxy Store. Spread the word, #FreeFortnite.
Thank you,
The Epic Games Team

Care packages were sent to IGN host Greg Miller, Fortnite streamer SSN Santa, Fortnite Mobile standout MistyGod, content creator Ducky the Gamer and others. Ducky the Gamer on Sunday posted to his YouTube channel an unboxing of the swag bag that has since notched nearly 74,000 views.

The Epic v. Apple legal scrum kicked off in August when Epic quietly implemented an alternative in-app payment option for its massively popular game, Fortnite. By sidestepping the App Store's commission mechanism, Epic openly flouted Apple's developer agreement. Apple pulled the app that same day and later deactivated Epic's developer account, triggering a prepared legal thrust and polished media blitz from Epic.

An ensuing PR campaign and statements from Epic CEO Tim Sweeney paint Apple as a traditional monopolist.

Epic in its legal filings claim Apple's App Store fees and policies are anticompetitive. The company also wants Apple to change its rules regarding the restriction of third-party app stores on iOS.

Most recently, Epic in November expanded the scope of its fight with a filing in Australia. In the U.S., the judge overseeing the case this month ordered depositions from Apple CEO Tim Cook and software chief Craig Federighi.

williamlondon · December 21, 2020 11:59PM

What a petty campaign, real sore loser stuff, and here Samesung is right in the thick of it, how perfect, anything to grab undeserved attention when your products suck marketing.

osmartormenajr · December 22, 2020 12:14AM

Oh dear... now I’m really afraid for Apple’s fate as a company. Digital influencers... talk about whipping out the big guns!

When you see the impact those semi-literate social media fads have been causing by promoting junk Android hardware for the last decade, you know Epic switched to the winning side!

Just how much more evidence is needed to prove that this kind of advertising is beyond pointless? It’s tantamount to outright burning the money!

mac_dog · December 22, 2020 12:45AM

Well, if anything, at least it tears their “monopoly” claims to shreds.

esquirecats · December 22, 2020 1:08AM

They’re ignorantly harming their own case and building Apple’s grounds for damages.

Parading their popularity dismantles their position that Apple’s store’s rules have harmful effects on developers. Demonstrating that the title has enduring popularity can be used as grounds for Apple to elevate the value of a damages claim for Epic breaking the tos.

The problem Epic has: beyond a small fervent set of players: no one cares about their position. The longer the case draws out the more it harms themselves. Gamers get bored and move on to the next big thing.

They’ve made a miscalculation if they think trying to make apple look like a bully has a tangible effect on Apple’s business. They’ve built an echo chamber that’s only close to their ears.

tommikele · December 22, 2020 1:34AM

WTF is an "influencer?" And who are they "influencing?"

tommikele · December 22, 2020 1:46AM

EsquireCats said:

They’re ignorantly harming their own case and building Apple’s grounds for damages.

Parading their popularity dismantles their position that Apple’s store’s rules have harmful effects on developers. Demonstrating that the title has enduring popularity can be used as grounds for Apple to elevate the value of a damages claim for Epic breaking the tos.

The problem Epic has: beyond a small fervent set of players: no one cares about their position. The longer the case draws out the more it harms themselves. Gamers get bored and move on to the next big thing.

They’ve made a miscalculation if they think trying to make apple look like a bully has a tangible effect on Apple’s business. They’ve built an echo chamber that’s only close to their ears.

First let me make it clear I support Apple's position. That said ...

The odds are about 100-1 you are not a lawyer, legal expert or any other kind of authority who knows what they are talking about. An ability to be somewhat articulate does not mean you really know squat about the topic you have chosen to opine about. It's a good thing for Epic that they did not come to you for legal advice and strategic planning.

Apple may lose or Epic may lose, but let me assure you, they are both is a lot smarter than you are. You should also know Epic's popularity has nothing to do with the claims they have made against Apple or their attempt to weasel out of a contract. It's a lawsuit and not a popularity contest.

dtownwarrior · December 22, 2020 2:17AM

🖕🏿Samscum...

bittyson · December 22, 2020 2:43AM

tommikele said:

EsquireCats said:

They’re ignorantly harming their own case and building Apple’s grounds for damages.

Parading their popularity dismantles their position that Apple’s store’s rules have harmful effects on developers. Demonstrating that the title has enduring popularity can be used as grounds for Apple to elevate the value of a damages claim for Epic breaking the tos.

The problem Epic has: beyond a small fervent set of players: no one cares about their position. The longer the case draws out the more it harms themselves. Gamers get bored and move on to the next big thing.

They’ve made a miscalculation if they think trying to make apple look like a bully has a tangible effect on Apple’s business. They’ve built an echo chamber that’s only close to their ears.

First let me make it clear I support Apple's position. That said ...

The odds are about 100-1 you are not a lawyer, legal expert or any other kind of authority who knows what they are talking about. An ability to be somewhat articulate does not mean you really know squat about the topic you have chosen to opine about. It's a good thing for Epic that they did not come to you for legal advice and strategic planning.

Apple may lose or Epic may lose, but let me assure you, they are both is a lot smarter than you are. You should also know Epic's popularity has nothing to do with the claims they have made against Apple or their attempt to weasel out of a contract. It's a lawsuit and not a popularity contest.

I would be careful trying to determine who is “smarter” than whom. Those professing to know such things are generally not part of the A team themselves. Take that as a helpful hint.

beats · December 22, 2020 3:14AM

Of course Samscum would side with other scum while giving away their knockoff iPads no one wants.

magman1979 · December 22, 2020 3:55AM

Just when you thought these scumbags couldn't stoop any lower, they go and shovel some fresh Scamsung bullshit off the ground, put it in a box and send it to a bunch of a fucktard "influencer" scumbags to complete the bullshit scumbag triad.

Ok, is it safe to say they can't stoop any lower now??

anilu_777 · December 22, 2020 4:03AM

“Influencer”?? Who the f are these people? That type of crap only reduces Samsung and Fortnite to the group of has-beens. What a waste of space they both are.

badmonk · December 22, 2020 4:26AM

tommikele said:

EsquireCats said:

They’re ignorantly harming their own case and building Apple’s grounds for damages.

Parading their popularity dismantles their position that Apple’s store’s rules have harmful effects on developers. Demonstrating that the title has enduring popularity can be used as grounds for Apple to elevate the value of a damages claim for Epic breaking the tos.

The problem Epic has: beyond a small fervent set of players: no one cares about their position. The longer the case draws out the more it harms themselves. Gamers get bored and move on to the next big thing.

They’ve made a miscalculation if they think trying to make apple look like a bully has a tangible effect on Apple’s business. They’ve built an echo chamber that’s only close to their ears.

First let me make it clear I support Apple's position. That said ...

The odds are about 100-1 you are not a lawyer, legal expert or any other kind of authority who knows what they are talking about. An ability to be somewhat articulate does not mean you really know squat about the topic you have chosen to opine about. It's a good thing for Epic that they did not come to you for legal advice and strategic planning.

Apple may lose or Epic may lose, but let me assure you, they are both is a lot smarter than you are. You should also know Epic's popularity has nothing to do with the claims they have made against Apple or their attempt to weasel out of a contract. It's a lawsuit and not a popularity contest.

I am not sure about that...EsquireCat’s opinion is smart, if Epic has a new happy home in the Samsung Store, it vacates an argument of harm by being taken off of the iOS store.

bestkeptsecret · December 22, 2020 5:26AM

I'm all for Free Fortnite. Make all in-app purchases free in Fortnite.

svanstrom · December 22, 2020 6:28AM

So… yeah… I can just imagine the awkward "we've realised that people don't care about us"-meeting where some executive came up with the "can't we get some of those influencers the kids like nowadays?"-idea.

Because Epic and Samsung are down with the kids, and know what's hip.

solafide_1975 · December 22, 2020 12:38PM

What, is Apple supposed to carry and serve Epic games from their server farms for free? Whether there can be a negotiation between Apple and the biggest game developers is another question. Apple has already volunteered lower costs to small developers. The problem is that Epic's kind of argument ("Apple is a monopolist, poor us, poor consumer") tend to resonate with certain regulatory bodies, such as in the EU. I don't ever want to see third party app stores for iOS - this would mean the end of the safety and privacy protocols that Apple has given us with the walled (hallelujah) garden of the App Store. Android is rife with malware because they do not police submissions to their store for malware, and they (e.g., Google) certainly don't care about privacy in the wild. A ruling to force Apple to allow third-party apps on iOS would fundamentally change the platform for the worse. Epic - no free rides, or should I get to play your games for free forever, with no advertisements. Why do you get to offer a product/service for profit, but you want to deny Apple payment for the service they offer you. You would not be in the position you are today apart from the App Store and access to iOS users. Maybe this is a big negotiation ploy? Despite the beliefs and practices of some, negotiation is NOT all about creating leverage over the other, but, at its best, each party looks at the goals of the other and looks for a way to achieve both, albeit with some compromise.

beowulfschmidt · December 22, 2020 1:30PM

tommikele said:

EsquireCats said:

They’re ignorantly harming their own case and building Apple’s grounds for damages.

Parading their popularity dismantles their position that Apple’s store’s rules have harmful effects on developers. Demonstrating that the title has enduring popularity can be used as grounds for Apple to elevate the value of a damages claim for Epic breaking the tos.

The problem Epic has: beyond a small fervent set of players: no one cares about their position. The longer the case draws out the more it harms themselves. Gamers get bored and move on to the next big thing.

They’ve made a miscalculation if they think trying to make apple look like a bully has a tangible effect on Apple’s business. They’ve built an echo chamber that’s only close to their ears.

First let me make it clear I support Apple's position. That said ...

The odds are about 100-1 you are not a lawyer, legal expert or any other kind of authority who knows what they are talking about. An ability to be somewhat articulate does not mean you really know squat about the topic you have chosen to opine about. It's a good thing for Epic that they did not come to you for legal advice and strategic planning.

Apple may lose or Epic may lose, but let me assure you, they are both is a lot smarter than you are. You should also know Epic's popularity has nothing to do with the claims they have made against Apple or their attempt to weasel out of a contract. It's a lawsuit and not a popularity contest.

Just as a point of information, the term "Esquire" has long been used by lawyers. Whether its use here is an indication, or just an affectation, I don't know.

darkpaw · December 22, 2020 2:24PM

tommikele said:

let me assure you, they are both is a lot smarter than you are.

And you, apparently.

dysamoria · December 22, 2020 4:25PM

So they’re bribing YouTubers in the hope that it gets them positive “viral” marketing... how sophisticated. Is this a “throw various things at the wall” tactic?

Some companies just have too much money.

qwerty52 · December 22, 2020 7:11PM

Epic and Samsung are working together under the rule: “ The enemy of my enemy is my friend “

muthuk_vanalingam · December 22, 2020 7:26PM

qwerty52 said:

Epic and Samsung are working together under the rule: “ The enemy of my enemy is my friend “

Apple is Samsung's enemy? In which universe? If that were the case, Apple wouldn't have been able to use OLED displays in their "Premium" products for the last 3 years, isn't it?

Epic and Samsung send 'Free Fortnite' care package with jacket, Galaxy Tab S7 to influence...

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