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Apple to kill Epic’s accounts on Friday the 28th

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Re: Apple to kill Epic’s accounts on Friday the 28th

#21

Post by throwaw4y-plate »

TylerE wrote: post #8
woofie11 wrote: post #2

This clearly and unambiguously crosses the line into abuse of market power. Apple's actions before? Maybe? Sort of? Apple needed that 30 percent cut to monitor for fraud and quality or something, going above-and-beyond other payment processors. This? This has absolutely no basis in anything. It's simple retaliation designed to kneecap Epic from Apple's dominant control of a market. Apple can refuse to let Epic releas…

Companies shouldn't be allowed to fire customers that blatantly break rules the customer agreed to?

If the rules are possibly illegal, yes, a question which will soon be litigated.

Re: Apple to kill Epic’s accounts on Friday the 28th

#22

Post by fooey »

draw_down wrote: post #9

I don’t have a side in this fight, but I do admire how Epic has clearly planned this out to wring every ounce of publicity and goodwill they can. I don’t find this particular measure (shutting down the accounts) particularly sinister. Epic has made it abundantly clear they don’t like the App Store’s rules and regulations. That’s fine but it means you won’t be selling on the App Store. I see this as Apple taking them…

I don't think they planned this well at all. It feels like rage fueled flailing they didn't think through.

What is it going to do for Epic's cash flow if they're not allowed on any app stores for literal years while court cases filter through? What is it going to do for their game store and engine selling business to be indefinitely evicted from the Apple ecosystem entirely?

Were I a company using Unreal Engine to develop a game, expecting to target Apple hardware, I would not be very happy about the stunts Tim Sweeney is pulling.

Re: Apple to kill Epic’s accounts on Friday the 28th

#23

Post by 0x402DF854 »

From a preliminary statement of Epic's motion:

> Just over two weeks ago, Apple’s CEO Tim Cook was asked during a Congressional hearing whether Apple has “ever retaliated against or disadvantaged a developer who went public about their frustrations with the App Store”. Mr. Cook testified, “We do not retaliate or bully people. It’s strongly against our company culture.”

Re: Apple to kill Epic’s accounts on Friday the 28th

#24

Post by Despegar »

Epic's antitrust case against Apple is very weak, but they're well within the right to sue Apple to resolve their dispute. The developer agreement actually stipulates the venue, Northern District of California, for any lawsuits. However, Epic demonstrated particularly bad faith in how they've dealt with this matter so I'm not surprised that Apple is terminating their relationship (which they're allowed to do under the terms of the developer agreement).

Re: Apple to kill Epic’s accounts on Friday the 28th

#25

Post by lokar »

Bud wrote: post #15
Solstinox wrote: post #13

What the f*ck is going on at Apple?

It's more like, why did Epic decide to file a spurious legal action when their situation with Apple is exactly the same as their situation with Microsoft (for XBox) and with Sony (for PlayStation) and with Google (for Android). The only difference is that Sony just invested $250M in Epic. I'm sure that minor fact has no relevance here, though. (sarcasm most certainly intended)

Are the various cuts (both sale, and in-game) for each platform known, either informally or publicly?

Re: Apple to kill Epic’s accounts on Friday the 28th

#26

Post by dbmikus »

Bud wrote: post #18
ajkjk wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Really? I got the opposite impression. Apple's tonedeafness and developer hostility is finally being challenged by a (comparative) underdog.

Do you think that Google, Microsoft, and Sony are also hostile and tone-deaf, then? One assumes so. All those platforms extract the same kinds of fees from Epic that Apple does. But mysteriously, Epic only wants to go after Apple.

Because on Android Epic can still have users install their games via a different app store.

Re: Apple to kill Epic’s accounts on Friday the 28th

#27

Post by Solstinox »

Bud wrote: post #15
Solstinox wrote: post #13

What the f*ck is going on at Apple?

It's more like, why did Epic decide to file a spurious legal action when their situation with Apple is exactly the same as their situation with Microsoft (for XBox) and with Sony (for PlayStation) and with Google (for Android). The only difference is that Sony just invested $250M in Epic. I'm sure that minor fact has no relevance here, though. (sarcasm most certainly intended)

Epic's intent is clear. No need to ask why.

Apple's handling of the situation is baffling. "Let's martyr the smaller company!"

Re: Apple to kill Epic’s accounts on Friday the 28th

#28

Post by TylerE »

chrisacky wrote: post #20
TylerE wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Companies shouldn't be allowed to fire customers that blatantly break rules the customer agreed to?

Of course they should. But, market dominance means agreement to such terms are not 'fair'.

Yes, total market dominance with 10% market share.

Re: Apple to kill Epic’s accounts on Friday the 28th

#29

Post by Panini_Jones »

Bud wrote: post #15
Solstinox wrote: post #13

What the f*ck is going on at Apple?

It's more like, why did Epic decide to file a spurious legal action when their situation with Apple is exactly the same as their situation with Microsoft (for XBox) and with Sony (for PlayStation) and with Google (for Android). The only difference is that Sony just invested $250M in Epic. I'm sure that minor fact has no relevance here, though. (sarcasm most certainly intended)

Isn't it the case that game publishers often will invest in game developers for their platform? I read elsewhere this was the case, but I haven't found a good source online.
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