You’d think that would be the source of argument, then, because that’s an obvious winner. “We’re special, your rules don’t apply to us” is… less convincing to many people.
Wait why do we think Google shouldn’t get paid for having something on their storefront again? That’s kind of how stores work. I mean this can’t possibly be one company complaining about listing in an exclusive store while building theirs right behind them.
Gambinos versus Bonnanos.
Welcome to the 21st Century’s economy. :)
Epic’s outrage is unjustified because Google allows Android users to sideload apps. Epic is obviously well-aware of this because that’s how they distribute Fortnite.
Now if they went after Apple I would be fully supportive, because the app store is the only way to get apps on an iOS device, thus you have no choice and must give them their cut.
Pretty much what Stusser said.
Fuck epic.
And fuck google.
Hey, fuck Apple also.
Don’t count out the possibility that they have a deal with Apple for < 30% on Fortnite IAP.
Yeah well only one of those is in the PC space trying to screw over one of the best traits PC gaming has to offer so double screw them and their hypocrisy.
I’m sure they would prefer to pay Apple Google’s cut of 0.000%.
I think Epic can make the same claim against Google that it does against steam. 30% is kind of high and only possible if a company has a strangle hold on the market.
Now, Google has a bit more merit, since Android is literally their platform, where as steam just uses the PC platform, but it’s not a terrible argument.
I’d estimate the chances of that at exactly 0%. Epic has no leverage with Apple, and both sides know it. They’re either getting 70% or nothing. Of course they’re taking the 70% while the taking is good, rather than grandstanding just to get some free publicity for their competing Android app store.
Ooh, this quote from Epic is just golden:
Further, Epic operates a major PC storefront and payment service and we do not force developers using our store to use our payment ecosystem.
So presumably the Epic store is now open to f2p games from any developer, no questions asked? No?
Well they still have to approve the game right, and that’s the rub. Only the select privileged few get a chance to even list a game, and then on top of that, hey no fees if you use an external payment system but first… gotta get into the club.
Google did the work and maintains their store. They can fight over what the cut should be, but Google and Apple created and maintain these systems.
Android is an open platform just like Windows. You can install other appstores like F-Droid and they work perfectly fine.
Yes, but like Steam, you have a single player with a lot of clout and set the standard.
They did not set the standard. 30% was the going rate.
There was a going rate on Android Apps before there was an Android store?
Unless you are clomping android apps with all digital goods, which I find a bit problematic. In that case, the 30% was a standard set during an era when bandwidth and storage was a premium and digital goods had much less competition and perpetuated today because it’s more money for the people at the top. In this day and age, with prices going down on those things, insisting on 30% is merely rent-seeking pushed because established vendors have too much clout for new stores to make much headway.
But this is a discussion we have had before, and I doubt any progress will be made on it now.
There’s a difference between soft and hard monopolies. Steam has a soft monopoly on PC gaming, as the Google Play store has a soft monopoly on Android apps. In both cases there are alternatives that work perfectly fine, but they lack market share.
The Apple Appstore is a hard monopoly in that it’s their way or the highway. Competition is simply not possible, so none whatsoever exists.
There is nothing I disagree with within any of these statements.
Yeah that’s just a lot of words for you to acknowledge there was a standard but trying to hand wave that away so that you can claim not one but two different companies managed to set a standard after it already existed.
It’s ridiculous. You don’t have to agree with the standard, but neither company pulled that number out of their ass and set it. It was already there.
Except, they did. I mean, that 30% isn’t based on anything real, otherwise Epic would be a total failure.
Capitalism isn’t based on what things cost, but what the market will bare, and as long as certain companies have a stranglehold, the market will bare 30%, and the consumers will face the brunt of it.
Just like the Tariffs.
Google/Android and Valve/Steam did not come up with the 30% number. It was already in existence prior to that.