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Any child or teenager could tell you what
Fortnite is, yet the answers vary per person. It is a video game that is formatted as a battle royale. Essentially, players from around the world can hop into a match and battle to become the last player standing. Battle royale games have become very popular in current times as we view the rise of other games such as
Apex Legends,
Call of Duty: Warzone, and
League of Legends.
These games are typically free to play unless you would like to access paid features by purchasing the battle pass. The battle pass gives items such as new character skins, weapon skins, banner customization add-ons, and more. Most of these games also host frequents sales in which they offer rare add-ons for a price.
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As of 2020,
Fortnite is the second most popular battle royale game out there, with
PlayerUnknown’s Battleground in the leading position.
Fortnite has nearly 350 million players worldwide, with a majority being young children or early adolescents. With a game nearly captivated by children, you might wonder what the harm is in keeping it on mobile app stores.
Banned By the App Stores
Fortnite has recently been banned on both the Google Play Store and the IOS AppStore. The reason for both is the same. This past Thursday, Epic Games, the creator of Fortnite was locked in their own battle between Apple and Google. Both stores require all developers to pay a 30% fee of any commissions made through their apps. This would mean a large sum of money was created only on IOS platforms. There have been over 250 million downloads on IOS devices alone.
Epic Games decided to settle this conflict by suing both companies. While their issue was not with the money, it was with the great power given to these two companies.
How Did This All Go Down?
Although the game is free to play, Epic Games makes income from in-game purchases, such as the battle pass. They also offer an in-game currency called V-bucks. They can be used to purchase weapons, outfits, and other add-ons. This extra income has generated nearly $4.2 billion in its past 2 years of being on the app stores.
The developer has long believed that the 30% cut is unfair and therefore, created a direct payment system. Players were allowed to purchase V-Bucks for a more affordable price through Epic, rather than through either app store. The price reduction was not much, but it still helped a great number of players.
When Apple realized how much income was being lost, they immediately banned Fortnite from their app store. Google followed shortly after. Although the game cannot be downloaded through either store, players can still gain access through the Samsung Store available on most Android devices. They can also download the app as a third-party app. IOS players will not be able to download the game or update existing ones.
Locked in a Battle of Lawsuits
Epic Games is facing its own battle between both app stores. A few hours after being banned, Epic immediately sued Apple for anti-competitive practices. This included the 30% fee and app distribution. While Epic Games did not demand payment, they wanted Apple to take a step back and allow fair competition.
Epic Games also pointed out that other companies such as Square or Paypal usually charge 10 times less than what Apple and Google are charging developers. Apple rebutted these charges by referring to their guidelines, which properly stated that a developer must gain consent before adding a paid feature to their app. Because neither consent nor permission was given by Apple, the app violated a few guidelines.
Epic Games has greatly benefited from having their apps on both app stores over the years. They have used tools, testing, and distribution to further improve their apps. While the future of Epic Games remains unknown, one this is for certain: the guidelines exist for a reason. Both Apple and Google are working with Epic Games to resolve conflicts and hopefully return Fortnite to both app stores.
Following the bans, Epic Games released a video parody of a famous Apple advertisement from 1984. The video essentially mocks Apple for becoming a monopoly and attempts to reveal the truth to their fans. This video has reached countless fans across the globe and Fortnite lovers everywhere are just waiting to see what happens next.
