In an interview with NPR, Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney is continuing to explain that the motivation for his company’s legal battle with Google and Apple over Fortnite is meant to stop the tech giants from monopolizing the mobile games space.
“It’s not just Epic being exploited by Apple, but it’s every developer who goes along with that scheme colluding with Apple and Google to further their monopoly,” Sweeney explains. “These stores are making a lot more money from creative works than the creators.”
The debated 30% cut that the two companies slice off the top of every app on their storefronts has been under scrutiny from regulators in Europe and Washington, D.C. as a potential anti-trust problem, particularly since that same cut does not apply to first-party apps which directly compete on the same marketplace. And while both Apple and Google insist the 30% shave is to ensure apps on their storefronts are safe and secure, Sweeney is not completely convinced.
“Every Apple engineer who works on these services and ensures that iPhone is the most secure platform in the world has got to deeply resent the business guys for taking credit and claiming that their store monopoly is the reason why the platform is secure. It’s just not true,” says Sweeney. “It’s the same bad behavior by Apple and Google that’s driving everybody to the common conclusion that these monopolies need to be stopped.”
The interview does take note of the more human “cost” of this legal kerfuffle, pointing to one Fortnite player and streamer who has lost in-game friends and viewers over the matter. “I had quite a few people that were really sad that they couldn’t play with me anymore,” she says. “Some of those people can’t afford to spend money on a $400 console, or a $1,000 PC.”
A hearing over the matter is set to begin on September 28th. You can catch up with all of the coverage up to this point in the list of links below.
