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MagyarEpic's Tim Sweeney outlines his case against Apple in a Twitter thread
The Epic Games lawsuits against both Apple and Google over their respective app store policies for mobile devices has, unsurprisingly, dominated the tech news headlines the past couple of days. For those who might have missed the story, Epic deliberately circumvented the respective app store policies of Apple and Google by giving users the ability to purchase Fortnite in-game currency (V-bucks) at a discount directly through their apps. This by-passed the 30 percent cut that Apple and Google normally charge for such a transaction and resulted in both tech giants removing Fortnite from their stores.
Anticipating this, Epic had lawsuits drawn up against both Apple and Google and launched them at the moment the Fortnite was removed from both the Apple App Store and the Google Play Store. Epic Games CEO, Tim Sweeney, has since taken to Twitter to explain his company’s position in a thread. In the case against Apple specifically, Sweeney argues that Epic is “fighting for the freedom of people who bought smartphones to install apps from sources of their choosing, the freedom for creators of apps to distribute them as they choose, and the freedom of both groups to do business directly.”
Sweeney appears to have a good case, although ultimately it will be up to the courts to decide. Even in the console gaming world, widely perceived as being ‘closed’, consumers are not forced to purchase games directly through a digital store as their only option -- even if there is a single digital store to purchase titles through, gamers can still buy games on disc or download codes through third-party vendors or directly from the developer. This creates competition and choice for the customer while discs also ensure a thriving second-hand market continues to operate -- it is no coincidence that both the PS5 and Xbox Series X next-gen consoles still sport optical drives in 2020.
You can read Sweeney's full thread below. Let us know your thoughts in the comments section.
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