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Epic direct payment on mobile

epicgames.com

291–300 of 371 posts

Re: Epic direct payment on mobile

#291

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How in the world is Apple preventing Epic from doing anything besides not following the rules of the App Store? If Epic wants to sell at a lower price they are free to do so in their own app store. Apple does not have to allow anyone on their platform. They built it, they own it, and they have the right to set it's rules. If Apple was the only mobile phone OS available then sure there is a case but iOS isn't even the…

Actually, Apple doesn't have the right to set it's rules and decide who can and can't be on their platform. Monopolies lose that, and Tim Cook was grilled on this exact topic by the House Antitrust Committee just days ago. Which is to say, even if the current laws allow Apple to act here, if it does, the next laws might prohibit it from doing so.

It's not a monopoly, there is NO definition that fits for Apple being a monopoly. DOn't like Apple buy an Android. Android is more popular and has the same rules. Game Developer? Don't like Apple's rules develop for Android or Switch or PS4 or the Web or PC etc.... Apple sells a platform and it's successful but it's absolutely not the only platform around or even the biggest except in sales. Tim Cook wasn't grilled in good faith, he was grilled for political gain.

Re: Epic direct payment on mobile

#294

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> All of these services provide something physical. You can't buy Kindle Books, for example, on Amazon's app on iOS. This a bit disingenuous. I don't see how it's disingenuous, the question was "are these purchases less safe". They said "No, and here are some examples". Whether the item is physical or not, I don't see how it makes the transaction "less safe"?

It's maybe my perception, but I don't know if 'is this cheaper form of payment directly to you less safe?' is a question many users would be having. To me anyway, it seems like an excuse to namedrop a bunch of services where direct payment is offered (again, primarily for physical goods) so users can have a list of these in their mind provided Apple cracks down on this.

That's totally possible. At the same time Apple has been pushing "We have to protect our customers, that is why everything must go through the App Store" as a reason for their policies for years.

That argument definitely implies that non-App Store methods are unsafe.

Re: Epic direct payment on mobile

#295

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Fortnite is popular enough to count as "big pressure" all on its own. I couldn't find recent numbers, but as of 2018 they had over 100M installs and were doing over $1M/day in revenue[0] and by early 2019 they'd already done more than half a billion[1]. [0]: https://venturebeat.com/2018/07/30/fortnite-clears-100-milli... [1]: https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2019-02-08-fortnite-i...

Weird, I thought Fortnite was free to play. What could people possibly be spending money on? Edit: Also I thought Fortnite was a FPS. How can you play that on iOS?

They pioneered the "battle pass" model for cosmetic items, and their constant release of skins, dances, etc can create a lot of recurring revenue I imagine.

Re: Epic direct payment on mobile

#296

Earlier quoted context omitted.

No, I'm asking if they will allow people to buy digital PC titles on EGS via direct purchase to the developer and bypass the percentage EGS takes. People are bringing up digital currency or IAP, but if Epic is arguing for 'direct payments in all apps', why would this be limited solely to digital currency and not the digital item itself?

Because then Apple would have to implement alternative payment methods into the App Store, which seems unreasonable. They're arguing that inside the app it's the developer's responsibility to handle payments however they see fit.

I don't follow this. Why would they have to implement alternative payment methods in the stpre? An app can create their own payment method within the app itself.

Re: Epic direct payment on mobile

#297

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Pull it is exactly what I would do. Apple gets a cut of the paid apps, but $0 from free apps who show ads. Take away getting a cut from the paid apps then free apps suddenly cost the developers money—no more free apps. Imagine going to Walmart and telling them what you want them to give you all the revenue. Walmart will tell you exactly what they want to pay you, or you can leave. Maybe 30% is too much, but 0% is a t…

My god, Apple requiring a price for apps would be best thing that's happened to the mobile environment in AGES. I'm a mobile game dev and I would sacrifice a child to go back to the days when people would pay 0.99 for a game.

Surely all free games currently would just be $0.01?

Re: Epic direct payment on mobile

#298

This puts Apple in a very tough spot. Last week, Tim Cook was questioned in an antitrust hearing re: Apple's anticompetitive practices (along with Jeff Bezos, Mark Zuckerberg, and Sundar Pichai). The spotlight is already pointing right at them, so any move they make here is going to be noticed by lawmakers. If they remove Fortnite from the App Store, Apple will probably be seen as the bad guy. After all, Epic is not…

It is already gone from the store.

Re: Epic direct payment on mobile

#299

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Also, the legal standard in the US is laser-focused on whether consumer prices have gone up as a result of a company's practices. What better demonstration could Epic possibly create of how the App Store leads to price increases?

In the US we have such a lame standard of anti-trust. For example, you could have two businesses with 100% market share in an industry, and have a contract between the two stating "we will not provide benefits, or salaries exceeding $X, to employees in this sector" and you have zero anti-trust issues because it doesn't increase consumer prices. Abysmal.

Really? I think what happens in practice is a bit more nuanced and includes wage fixing. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High-Tech_Employee_Antitrust_L...

Re: Epic direct payment on mobile

#300

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>If they keep Fortnite on the App Store, they're going to need to make a rule change to allow alternative payment methods within apps. That is already allowed. It's a common misconception.

It is? For digital purchases?

Amazon has a special exception for Prime video[0].

[0]: https://www.theverge.com/2020/4/1/21203294/amazon-prime-vide...

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