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Epic Games releases "Nineteen Eighty-Fortnite" ad

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Re: Epic Games releases "Nineteen Eighty-Fortnite" ad

#151

Post by threatofrain »

Ivoirians wrote: post #69

This is going to be a fascinating PR war. Apple was probably caught by surprise with how immediately public Epic was willing to take this. But besides the fun of that wonderful drama unfolding over the next months/years, I actually feel like this could be catastrophic for Apple's image. Epic has an underestimated amount of influence and clout over the Gen Z crowd, and by aggressively rallying teenage gamers against A…

What are youths going to do? Stop buying Apple and start buying Android, which has also banned Fortnite?

Re: Epic Games releases "Nineteen Eighty-Fortnite" ad

#152

Post by resu_nimda »

janderson3 wrote: post #39

I find it fascinating that in that ad the schlubs that are sitting there watching the television are Fortnite default skins and not say, replicas of the characters that hold the same position in the original Apple ad. This really supports Dan Olson manufactured discontent assertion[0]. Even if you support them and play their game, if you don't spend money for skins, you're still in Big Brother's audience. The wildest…

I don't play games anymore and I'm not a big fan of the whole microtransactions/F2P model, but I found that video somewhat uncompelling.

Not that long ago, the MMO standard was $15 a month* (plus the initial $50+). Not to unlock the cool stuff, but simply to play at all. And nobody felt like there was anything sinister about it.

With Fortnite, you can play for free as much as you like, or (based on what I gathered from the video) pay Even if you support them and play their game

How are you supporting them if you don't pay? Sure, they benefit from network effects, but ultimately they obviously need a lot of paying customers. Have we really gotten to the point where people expect to play AAA games for free and view it as audacious if the developers incentivize people to pay for things? As mentioned, I did much prefer the old model because it precluded this kind of stuff from seeping into the experience, but I don't think there's anything fundamentally sinister or wrong with trying to push people towards paying for your game (though I will say the "let me see your Marsh Walk emote" stuff was pretty cringey, but that's another story).

*I realize that Fortnite is not an MMO but it seems to fit the bill for something you would pay a subscription for these days. You could hold the Battle Pass for over a year for the classic $50-60 game price.

Re: Epic Games releases "Nineteen Eighty-Fortnite" ad

#153

Post by pldr1234 »

CM30 wrote: post #85
arduinomancer wrote: post #7

The whole strategy here feels pretty unprecedented. Usually these kind of lawsuits happen in the background but Epic seems to be going full force with making it a public campaign. > Apple is blocking your ability to get the latest Fortnite updates! All players should have a choice in payment providers and save up to 20%. Apple wants to limit your payment choices! Join the fight against @AppStore on social with #FreeF…

For better or worse, many individuals and companies have realised that the court of public opinion can have as much (or even more) of an effect than the legal system can. Hence instead of settling issues in private, now a lot of organisations are trying to set off a negative PR storm aimed at their opponents that paints them as the victim/underdog. So that's the real goal here. To cause enough of a social media contr…

Does nobody else see the sheer irony of a company like Epic releasing anything touching on the topics of 1984?

Re: Epic Games releases "Nineteen Eighty-Fortnite" ad

#154

Post by jvzr »

jandrese wrote: post #115
jvzr wrote: post #53

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There is no way companies are passing that 20-30% to the consumers.

That's exactly what Epic just tried to do and what got them kicked off of the app store.

You're falling in their marketing trap. They are passing it now because it helps their case, but had they a lower percentage to begin with, they'd keep the price as it was. You think Epic is a benevolent corporation? No, they're a money-making machine selling pixel clothes and dances for their hit game. (I'm a gamer and I find Epic revolting.)

Re: Epic Games releases "Nineteen Eighty-Fortnite" ad

#155

Post by lostmsu »

BelleOfTheBall wrote: post #135
darth_avocado wrote: post #95

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You should take a win when you get one. Yes it's another Billion dollar company going against Apple, but then, who else can actually go against them and not financially ruin themselves? Smaller Indie studios definitely can't

I get their desire to have the fight be a fair one instead of Epic rallying its positively massive fanbase to suddenly start viewing Apple as the bad guy... but I also don't think it'll be that relevant to the court case. Both companies have the best lawyers money can buy, I'm sure they'll be able to throw out any "but think of the fans, look how mad they are" accusations.

I don't think the court case is the only thing that matters. iPhone sales might see a noticeable drop if Fortnite fans pull off. That would make a lot of sense, if Epic would not try to combat Google at the same time.

Re: Epic Games releases "Nineteen Eighty-Fortnite" ad

#156

Post by shezi »

jvzr wrote: post #154
jandrese wrote: post #115

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That's exactly what Epic just tried to do and what got them kicked off of the app store.

You're falling in their marketing trap. They are passing it now because it helps their case, but had they a lower percentage to begin with, they'd keep the price as it was. You think Epic is a benevolent corporation? No, they're a money-making machine selling pixel clothes and dances for their hit game. (I'm a gamer and I find Epic revolting.)

Have you read any of the news surrounding the Epic Games Store? Like this: https://www.techradar.com/au/news/epic-games-store-would-dro...

"Epic’s CEO Tim Sweeney has effectively thrown down the gauntlet to Valve, saying that if Steam matched the Epic Games Store in terms of dropping the cut it takes from developers to 12%, Epic would stop pursuing the policy of securing big-name exclusives."

The entire point of the EGS is to get the industry to lower their skimming. And you don't even have to invoke altruism: if Epic continues to take 12% of every transaction and grows the market ten-fold, that's still more than a 30% cut of the market today.

It is a sad testament to our time that it is inconceivable that a person just wants to better the situation for all involved.

I'm a game developer and the EGS is the best thing that's happened to us as developers AND to us as gamers. And our games aren't even on the EGS.

Re: Epic Games releases "Nineteen Eighty-Fortnite" ad

#157

Post by tim333 »

freeone3000 wrote: post #83
siavosh wrote: post #34

I can't put my finger on its validity, but it all resonates the same to me: - Listening to billionaires arguing with each other about what society should be for the benefit of all since this recession started & - Trillions and billions of dollar companies battling it out as if they were the underdog in the public arena for the sympathy of us mere wage earners. The pervading sense I think from Left to Right is the sys…

Burn it all down. Create a new society formed from mutual aid and non-heirchial power structures. Capitalism is the disease.

>Create a new society formed from ... non-heirchial power structures.

Has there been a functional example of that? I guess perhaps hunter gatherers but not sure that scales.

Re: Epic Games releases "Nineteen Eighty-Fortnite" ad

#158

Post by sneak »

eindiran wrote: post #2

In case you haven't seen it (like I hadn't), this ad is a parody of the 1984 Apple Macintosh ad: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VtvjbmoDx-I

I remember walking into the latest generation of flagship Apple store (the cantilevered one) and thinking “man, who’s job is it now to throw the sledgehammer at the jumbotron?”

I wanted to do it but didn’t want a felony on my record. I think that would have been sort of neat, but didn’t know a good way to get the Ridley Scott five minutes hate clip played on it, which would have been critical for the gag.

A fun thought, regardless.

Re: Epic Games releases "Nineteen Eighty-Fortnite" ad

#159

Post by freeone3000 »

tim333 wrote: post #157
freeone3000 wrote: post #83

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Burn it all down. Create a new society formed from mutual aid and non-heirchial power structures. Capitalism is the disease.

>Create a new society formed from ... non-heirchial power structures. Has there been a functional example of that? I guess perhaps hunter gatherers but not sure that scales.

Of course it doesn't scale. The idea of it needing to scale is part of the problem. When we implement scale, people get lost in the aggregate, their voices drowned out by their apposited group.

Re: Epic Games releases "Nineteen Eighty-Fortnite" ad

#160

Post by deasmi »

lostmsu wrote: post #155
BelleOfTheBall wrote: post #135

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I get their desire to have the fight be a fair one instead of Epic rallying its positively massive fanbase to suddenly start viewing Apple as the bad guy... but I also don't think it'll be that relevant to the court case. Both companies have the best lawyers money can buy, I'm sure they'll be able to throw out any "but think of the fans, look how mad they are" accusations.

I don't think the court case is the only thing that matters. iPhone sales might see a noticeable drop if Fortnite fans pull off. That would make a lot of sense, if Epic would not try to combat Google at the same time.

It’s been pulled from the google store for the same reason, so unless people don’t won’t phones doubt it’ll have any impact currently.
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