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Tim Sweeney on Apple and Google

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Re: Tim Sweeney on Apple and Google

#11

Post by mlthoughts2018 »

I’m surprised to find myself siding with Apple / Google / etc on this. They did the work to build and maintain a distribution platform. They should be able to define its terms of use and costs. If you don’t like it, distribute differently. If everyone uses those companies’ devices, it’s a market endorsement that the world wants the standardization and managed ecosystem of each platform - that it’s a thing of value.

I don’t see how there’s any way you can tell Apple how Apple has to run infrastructure to support a distribution channel, but it cannot determine the prices or policies for someone using it to distribute an app.

Re: Tim Sweeney on Apple and Google

#12

Post by qwertox »

The podcast "Acquired" recently did an episode on Epic

https://www.acquired.fm/episodes/epic-games (Season 7, Episode 3, September 1, 2020)

It helped me a lot with positioning Epic and Sweeney, with his current actions, into my mental knowledge base, in the context of Doom and what was happening in the 90s and thereafter in the gaming industry. It also touches the current topic. It's worth listening to.

Re: Tim Sweeney on Apple and Google

#13

Post by CincinnatiMan »

In the global economy, monopolies become a tougher situation. In some ways I’d rather not split Apple or Google if it were to mean a non-US company takes their place, particularly a Chinese one. I understand Epic Games is partially owned by Tencent, which if I wore a tinfoil hat, may concern me in regards to their motives here.

Re: Tim Sweeney on Apple and Google

#17

Post by bb123 »

raxxorrax wrote: post #2

App stores and restrictive operation systems are a real threat in my opinion. We were really lucky that developers and users let at least the Windows store fail. You can earn good and easy money on those under the condition you get a minimal exposure, but I shudder to think this is the future of software. I think Sweeney is correct, although I also think Epic tried to do the same. Their success with some of their gam…

For you a threat, for many others a feature. Lots of people buy iPhones specifically because they are restrictive, and are therefore more robust. Ask an average user which experience they prefer - sourcing software for a Windows PC, or downloading an App for an iPhone.

Re: Tim Sweeney on Apple and Google

#18

Post by mcintyre1994 »

aetherson wrote: post #8

Apple's defense that they are not a monopolist in any traditional sense is correct as far as it goes. But a novel definition of monopoly may be warranted. As smartphones become more and more a part of the fundamental infrastructure of society, and remain relatively expensive and slow to replace, it's not crazy to say that iPhone users are a market in itself and that market should be protected from monopoly. In the sa…

I heard a similar interesting idea on a recent episode of the Advanced Tech Podcast. Someone on there suggested that the mobile economy might be a legitimate market, and iOS has always had a hugely outsized share of the money flowing through app stores etc.

Re: Tim Sweeney on Apple and Google

#20

Post by luastoned »

onion2k wrote: post #9
brnt wrote: post #3

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Epic Store successfully taking games exclusive makes Sweeneys priorities clear: they are no different than Apple's or Google's. I hope Epic fighting this fight will not obscure that.

I don't think Sweeney wants the same software to be available on every app store. He wants users to have a choice of which app store to use. Effectively he wants the same deal as there is for PC gaming - eg multiple stores available that users can choose from - to be the case for mobile (and possibly consoles as well).

What? He explicitly forces users to use his/the Epic store, smh.
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