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This is big corporations fighting over their respective slices of the pie, and this is beneficial to consumers. That is how capitalism works. Some (somewhat sma

This is big corporations fighting over their respective slices of the pie, and this is beneficial to consumers. That is how capitalism works. Some (somewhat small to some) amount will go directly to consumers (vbucks discounts), some (most likely most) will go toward creating a better product (hiring more developers, artists, designers etc.) and a bit might go to each of those developers, artists, and designers (and/or improve their working conditions, hopefully reducing the number worked to their limits like eg. the Rockstar employees who created Red Dead Redemption 2, and other game devs who sleep at work). Unfortunately some will be wasted on lawyers, etc., but IMO that’s not much worse than it staying in the hoard of the world’s most valuable company, and worth the benefits to everyone else.

wombatmobile 6y ago
I'm not sure what you mean to emphasise with your italics, boogies. The article is about Fortnite being excluded from Apple's monopoly distribution platform. That platform enriches Apple at the expense of consumers and software developers. Are you saying it's a good thing that Apple can exclude Fortnite for trying to get around the Apple tax?
- boogies 6y ago
  No, the opposite. I’m saying that Epic is demanding an exception for selfish reasons, but Apple waiving their fees will benefit consumers.
  - wombatmobile 6y ago
    Thanks for clarifying, boogies. I agree. Apple should not charge 30% for this type of transaction, which is just the resupply of virtual currency. Apple should have a lower tier fee for this type of ongoing service transaction, which is clearly different to a sale in which a new customer is converted. If Apple had a service tier with a fee of say 5% for virtual currency they’d still be compensated for providing the platform, but not excessively. Consumers and software vendors would benefit commensurately. This two tiered model is just what happens in traditional pre-digital capitalism. Furniture stores charge 30-50% markup to cover the overheads of showroom rent and sales staff. Financial services companies like forex and credit cards charge 3-18% because they have different overheads and provide different value-add compared to retail sellers.
    - JiNCMG 6y ago
      Then start with the Playstation, Nintendo, Xbox and Steam stores. They take 30% off the top as well. Epic's store is only doing 12% for now as they try to catch up to the bus they missed. Wanna get a DLC? They all take a percentage. Also regardless of the money you spend on making your game. They all have to review it and only if they approve will it get published. Going to selling some XBox physical disc? You pay your percentage on what you print not what sells. Also you need to use a trusted disc manufacturer, they pay a percentage to XBox also, note this is all the same for Sony and Nintendo.

wombatmobile 6y ago

I'm not sure what you mean to emphasise with your italics, boogies. The article is about Fortnite being excluded from Apple's monopoly distribution platform. That platform enriches Apple at the expense of consumers and software developers. Are you saying it's a good thing that Apple can exclude Fortnite for trying to get around the Apple tax?

boogies 6y ago
No, the opposite. I’m saying that Epic is demanding an exception for selfish reasons, but Apple waiving their fees will benefit consumers.
- wombatmobile 6y ago
  Thanks for clarifying, boogies. I agree. Apple should not charge 30% for this type of transaction, which is just the resupply of virtual currency. Apple should have a lower tier fee for this type of ongoing service transaction, which is clearly different to a sale in which a new customer is converted. If Apple had a service tier with a fee of say 5% for virtual currency they’d still be compensated for providing the platform, but not excessively. Consumers and software vendors would benefit commensurately. This two tiered model is just what happens in traditional pre-digital capitalism. Furniture stores charge 30-50% markup to cover the overheads of showroom rent and sales staff. Financial services companies like forex and credit cards charge 3-18% because they have different overheads and provide different value-add compared to retail sellers.
  - JiNCMG 6y ago
    Then start with the Playstation, Nintendo, Xbox and Steam stores. They take 30% off the top as well. Epic's store is only doing 12% for now as they try to catch up to the bus they missed. Wanna get a DLC? They all take a percentage. Also regardless of the money you spend on making your game. They all have to review it and only if they approve will it get published. Going to selling some XBox physical disc? You pay your percentage on what you print not what sells. Also you need to use a trusted disc manufacturer, they pay a percentage to XBox also, note this is all the same for Sony and Nintendo.