The Court, however, prevented Apple from revoking Epic’s developer tools.įashioning their clash against Apple as a modern-day David vs. Epic unsuccessfully sought a restraining order on August 17th, 2020, to reupload Fortnite with its hotfix to the iOS Store. The latter act, Epic claimed, prevented the company from supporting the Unreal Engine and hindered third-party developers that used the engine. For example, they parodied Apple’s famous “1984” ad, showcasing a Fortnite character freeing the oppressed masses from a giant “Apple overlord”.Ĭiting violations to their DPLA, Apple pulled Fortnite and revoked Epic’s developer tools from the iOS Store. Epic subsequently engaged in a social media crusade against Apple. The company also offered a 30% discount to mobile users for future V-buck purchases. First, Epic secretly uploaded a “hotfix” update to Fortnite on August 3rd, 2020, that allowed users to circumvent the iOS and Google “in-app purchasing” (“ IAP”) systems and directly buy V-bucks from Epic. To undermine Apple and Google’s control over their mobile application platforms, Epic launched a multi-phase strategy titled “Project Liberty”. In late 2019, Epic CEO Tom Sweeney sensed that App Store DPLAs threatened the company’s business plans and expanding metaverse. Apple’s DPLA included other contractual provisions, such as a requirement to use Apple’s commerce technology for payments and a prohibition against uploading third-party stores to the App Store. However, under a Developer Product Licensing Agreement ( DPLA), App Store operators such as Apple and Google claimed a 30% commission fee for any purchases made over their platforms. Over two years, Epic earned $700 million via Fortnite’s 100 million iOS users. Through either the Epic Games Store, iOS Store, or Google Play Store, players can purchase a virtual currency ( V-bucks) that can be exchanged for in-game cosmetic items like virtual apparel and dance moves. One of Epic’s largest sources of revenue is through in-game purchases, aka “ microtransactions”. Outside the game, Epic licenses its intellectual property from Fortnite to third parties for merchandise including toys and clothing. For instance, Fortnite features in-game advertising, cross-promotions, and premium game modes. While Fortnite is a free-to-play game, Epic monetizes Fortnite through various means. On iOS and Android devices, users need to download Fortnite through their devices’ respective App Stores. Fortnite has also served as an educational platform, screening full length documentaries from the Discovery Channel in-game and launching a virtual museum to immerse players in the life and work of Martin Luther King Jr.įortnite is available on multiple platforms, such as desktop computers, game consoles, and mobile phones. In 2020, Epic hosted the world’s first live concerts in a video game, where the likes of Travis Scott and Ariana Grande virtually toured the Fortnite world for tens of millions of viewers. For example, players developed superpowers like Marvel heroes during Fortnite’s movie crossover event with Avengers: Endgame. Aside from generating $5.5 billion USD in gross revenue in 2020, the game has spawned what Epic describes as a “metaverse” – a persistent virtual world where millions of players can concurrently socialize, experience developer-generated content, and create their own user content. With over 400 million registered users, Fortnite has become a global phenomenon since its release in 2017. Epic is also famous for its flagship online, multiplayer game Fortnite. The company is best known for developing the Unreal Engine, which has served as the game engine for thousands of titles, as well as the Epic Games Store, an online video game distribution platform. Epic Games (“ Epic”) is a multibillion-dollar company that develops video games and related software.
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