Fortnite: Epic gains allies in fight against Apple and Google

Epic Games has recently begun what will likely be a long, protracted fight both in public relations and in the courts with both Apple and Google after Fortnite was pulled from both companies’ mobile app stores. Recently, it’s become known that Gabe Newell, the founder of Epic Games’ biggest competitor Steam, has spoken out against Apple’s business model as well.

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Epic Games and Steam

Both Epic Games and Steam run their own digital storefronts, with Steam being the larger and much more well-known of the two. Epic Games, however, has made strides as a competitor by using Fortnite as a launchpad and offering a more competitive rate and exclusive deals with other companies that has allowed it to put a dent in Steam’s market share.

But despite both companies competing as digital storefronts, both have spoken out against Apple’s policies and control over its App Store creating an environment where a product can be restricted entirely due to the whims of a “faceless bureaucrat.”

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Fortnite was removed, but…

Fortnite might have been removed from the Apple App Store and Google Play Store, but this entire situation raises the question of what happened to the games that were never listed to begin with. Additionally, what about the games and apps that were pulled and never reported on because they weren’t nearly as big as Fortnite?

If Apple or Google can stop Epic Games from listing one of the most popular games on mobile devices through their platform, then what chance do smaller companies have of standing up against the giants?

Something worth considering is that the legality and validity of the arguments against Apple shouldn’t be bolstered by coming from another giant company. In theory, anyone should have been able to raise these points and present an argument.

However, it is precisely because of the success of Fortnite that Epic is even capable of taking on this fight. The tragic reality is that legal arguments, no matter how sound they are, take resources to present. Even if a smaller company had made the same points, their inability to take Apple and Google to court and potentially win meant that those voices went unheard.

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What the future might look like

The hope for Epic is that they can win their argument and that stores run by Apple, Google, and maybe even Steam will be subject to fair business practices. Further, the hope is that Fortnite will be reinstated to the mobile markets.

However, a far more likely outcome will be legislation which either reduces the profitability of running a virtual marketplace or helps competitor markets to rise up. It would be hard to imagine Amazon being replaced, for example, unless action was taken to limit the profitability of the Amazon marketplace.

What all this means for Fortnite and its allies, however, we can’t know until the dust has settled.