Fortnite has officially been removed from the Apple App Store and the Google Play Store because of Epic’s recent update, Who will be next?
Fortnite is one of the most popular Battle Royale games to date and has been played on multiple platforms by countless players. The Epic Game Store has made a decision that will undoubtedly affect these numbers in the future.
As of the 13th of August, Epic snuck in an update for both the Android and iPhone versions of the game that will allow players to pay Epic directly for all in-app purchases related to the game. Whereas before they would have to use the officially sanctioned system for both these platforms.
This decision sparked a turn of events that couldn’t be stopped. Firstly, Fortnite was kicked off the Apple App Store, and then Epic decided to sue Apple for this move, and finally, there was an in-game parody video portraying Apple’s own 1984 commercial. This video depicts Apple as the monopolist in the story.
After all, this occurred Google made the bold decision to kick Fortnite off of their store too. Google has the same system for all in-app purchases as Apple and because of this, it was apparent the Epic was defying Google’s rules as well. The clause states:
“Developers offering products within a game downloaded on Google Play or providing access to game content must use Google Play In-app Billing as the method of payment.”
Google and Apple both take a 30% commission for in-App purchases.
Apple’s official statement is as follows:
“Today, Epic Games took the unfortunate step of violating the App Store guidelines that are applied equally to every developer and designed to keep the store safe for our users. As a result, their Fortnite app has been removed from the store. Epic enabled a feature in its app which was not reviewed or approved by Apple, and they did so with the express intent of violating the App Store guidelines regarding in-app payments that apply to every developer who sells digital goods or services. Epic has had apps on the App Store for a decade, and have benefited from the App Store ecosystem – including its tools, testing, and distribution that Apple provides to all developers. Epic agreed to the App Store terms and guidelines freely and we’re glad they’ve built such a successful business on the App Store. The fact that their business interests now lead them to push for a special arrangement does not change the fact that these guidelines create a level playing field for all developers and make the store safe for all users. We will make every effort to work with Epic to resolve these violations so they can return Fortnite to the App Store.”
As with Apple, Google couldn’t stand by and allow Epic to break the rules to such a large extent and was forced to take action. Although it took a little longer for Google to respond they did and in their statement to The Verge they said:
“The open Android ecosystem lets developers distribute apps through multiple app stores. For game developers who choose to use the Play Store, we have consistent policies that are fair to developers and keep the store safe for users. While Fortnite remains available on Android, we can no longer make it available on Play because it violates our policies. However, we welcome the opportunity to continue our discussions with Epic and bring Fortnite back to Google Play.”
Epic seems to have had this issue with Google before in 2018 when Epic pulled Fortnite from the Google Play Store and began distributing it directly. After an 18-month Epic made the decision to return Fortnite to the Google Play Store.
Other platforms are gaining popularity such as the Samsung Store which is now being put forward by Epic as the go-to store to obtain Fortnite. Epic is even going as far as telling their clients that they can get the discount that “started this whole mess” if they switch to the Samsung Store.
Microsoft is now also jumping on the bandwagon with its upcoming streaming service called Game Pass Ultimate (previously known as X-cloud). This service will be available on Google Play and Samsung’s Galaxy store. If you happen to install it via Google Play you can’t buy the DLC because of the 30% rule but if you install it via the Samsung Store you will be able to make in-app purchases.
Microsoft had this to say:
“Our vision is to bring a complete, full-featured experience with in-app purchase capabilities to app stores. However, we are complying with all store policies and do not offer in-app purchases in some stores at this time. To access complete, in-app purchase capabilities, Samsung customers can download the Xbox Game Pass app from the Galaxy Store; SK Telecom customers can also get a complete experience through ONE Store.”
We will be keeping our ears to the ground with this story as it unfolds and it seems like a reshuffling of Downloadable Apps is currently occurring.