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A lot of this feels to me like Rpic thinks they’re a bigger deal than they are. No doubt they make a lot of money, and they’ve made Apple a lot of money. I thin

A lot of this feels to me like Rpic thinks they’re a bigger deal than they are. No doubt they make a lot of money, and they’ve made Apple a lot of money. I think though that their attempt to take Apple in the court of Public opinion is going to fall flat, because there are a lot more iOS users than Fortnite on iOS players.

username3 6y ago
This is all PR before Epic stops selling vbucks in-app. They can’t advertise where to buy in the app. This will get the word out that you can buy vbucks through their website.
- WrtCdEvrydy 6y ago
  You can't do that... Hey got taken down for exactly this.
elicash 6y ago
What I find confusing about Epic's approach is taking on Google at the same time. It seems like you'd have some leverage at forcing Apple to the table if you were exclusive on Google, for instance -- and then, after winning, you could be exclusive on Apple for a while to cut a similar deal with Google. All your leverage comes from kids wanting to only have a device that plays their favorite game where they hang out with their friends.
- s_dev 6y ago
  I think Epic are going to announce a new piece of hardware in the coming months. A phone that can play many games in their library. Both Google and Apple are trash at games and Epic know this. Theres a lucrative niche.
  - selectodude 6y ago
    Is it going to be called "Nintendo Switch"? Because Fortnite is on there, plays really well, and I'm not sure what Epic is going to bring to the table to outclass it.
    - redisman 6y ago
      Free games? That's what they do on PC. Nintendos biggest weakness on it's handhelds since the beginning has been almost no sales (as in Steam sales).
      - selectodude 6y ago
        Nintendo never puts their games on sale but Fortnite is free, plenty of games go on sale all the time, and Epic is welcome to add to that list of free and discounted games if they're so inclined.
nxc18 6y ago
Yeah as an iPhone user I really hope Apple makes this a very, very, example-making costly mistake for Epic.
- hu3 6y ago
  You really hope Apple keeps charging 30% app tax and forbidding us from installing apps from outside of App Store?
  - bananabreakfast 6y ago
    most iPhone users love the idea of a single app store with apps vetted by apple
    - dayjobpork 6y ago
      I for one am glad that they ban all alternative web browsers, so I don't have to deal with issues like using addons I like or not having pages randomly reload because ios thinks they should. Enforced lack of choice is awesome. I wonder what jailbroken app idea Apple will steal next...
  - nxc18 6y ago
    Yes. In particular, I don't ever want to be in the position that PC users are stuck in, where they can be forced to install certain stores just to get access to the games they want to play. And I certainly don't want to be stuck in the position that Android users are in, where they have to worry about what store they're using, where the software comes from, and whether the app they're about to install is legitimate and free of malware. There are freedoms to and freedoms from, and they're both important. As an iPhone user, I knowingly and willingly chose freedom from.
    - marcosscriven 6y ago
      None of that requires 30%.
    - grumple 6y ago
Konohamaru 6y ago
> I think though that their attempt to take Apple in the court of Public opinion is going to fall flat, because there are a lot more iOS users than Fortnite on iOS players. Good thing it's only the court of public law that counts. And I don't see how the Supreme Court could rule in favor of Apple, Inc when the District Court ruled Microsoft's bundling of IE as breaking US antitrust laws.
kodablah 6y ago
> I think though that their attempt to take Apple in the court of Public opinion is going to fall flat, because there are a lot more iOS users than Fortnite on iOS players. This naively assumes an iOS user is on Apple's side, and assumes that the court of public opinion excludes those users with neither iOS nor Fortnite yet have general opinions and business-stake on iOS options. I should also note that, for some of us, the court of public opinion and the court of legal opinion are different. I can disagree w/ Apple and disagree w/ their practices being deemed illegal.
- sircastor 6y ago
  I think most iOS users don't actually care, but they know that they get their phones from Apple, and some game company is trying to mess something up. I agree that the legal and the PR plays are separate, but if Epic were just trying to handle the legal issue, they wouldn't be making as big of a deal out of it. They're expecting to get something else from this.
klmadfejno 6y ago
Eh, I don't know. I think they've got a lot of positive momentum. I would bet generously on their future. * I despise fortnite. I don't know if it has longevity. But it's pretty damn ambitious and is closer to the metaverse than anyone has gotten in a frustrating sort of way * Unreal Engine is getting better by the day, is very dev friendly, and is likely going to grow in popularity as some of it's neat-o UE5 features take yet another chunk out of the pain of game dev for indies. Unity feels like takes one step forward, one step back every update. * Their app store has been on a roll lately with lots of games for free that I actually want to play(Civ 6, Overcooked, Total War Troy, Killing Floor 2, Torchlight, 20xx, Remnant, Enter the Gungeon). I've basically switched all of my attention from Steam to Epic and would probably purchase from there over steam if a game were available on both for the same price. The UI is worse, the networking client is worse, and the store pages are less informative; however I find their library of games to feel relatively well curated whereas steam has pages of crap that you need to sift through to find anything.
- r00fus 6y ago
  What do you mean that FN is closer to the "metaverse"?
  - klmadfejno 6y ago
    Metaverse as described in Neal Stephenson's "Snowcrash" which was one of the first novels to describe a multiplayer VR world. Fun book. By closer I mean it's developing this weird culture as a place to just hang out in besides just playing rounds of the games. People watch movies and concerts and what not in the game. It has a higher level evolving plot line and culture. Like second life but mainstream; social media in video game form.

username3 6y ago

This is all PR before Epic stops selling vbucks in-app. They can’t advertise where to buy in the app. This will get the word out that you can buy vbucks through their website.

WrtCdEvrydy 6y ago
You can't do that... Hey got taken down for exactly this.

elicash 6y ago

What I find confusing about Epic's approach is taking on Google at the same time. It seems like you'd have some leverage at forcing Apple to the table if you were exclusive on Google, for instance -- and then, after winning, you could be exclusive on Apple for a while to cut a similar deal with Google. All your leverage comes from kids wanting to only have a device that plays their favorite game where they hang out with their friends.

s_dev 6y ago
I think Epic are going to announce a new piece of hardware in the coming months. A phone that can play many games in their library. Both Google and Apple are trash at games and Epic know this. Theres a lucrative niche.
- selectodude 6y ago
  Is it going to be called "Nintendo Switch"? Because Fortnite is on there, plays really well, and I'm not sure what Epic is going to bring to the table to outclass it.
  - redisman 6y ago
    Free games? That's what they do on PC. Nintendos biggest weakness on it's handhelds since the beginning has been almost no sales (as in Steam sales).
    - selectodude 6y ago
      Nintendo never puts their games on sale but Fortnite is free, plenty of games go on sale all the time, and Epic is welcome to add to that list of free and discounted games if they're so inclined.

nxc18 6y ago

Yeah as an iPhone user I really hope Apple makes this a very, very, example-making costly mistake for Epic.

hu3 6y ago
You really hope Apple keeps charging 30% app tax and forbidding us from installing apps from outside of App Store?
- bananabreakfast 6y ago
  most iPhone users love the idea of a single app store with apps vetted by apple
  - dayjobpork 6y ago
    I for one am glad that they ban all alternative web browsers, so I don't have to deal with issues like using addons I like or not having pages randomly reload because ios thinks they should. Enforced lack of choice is awesome. I wonder what jailbroken app idea Apple will steal next...
- nxc18 6y ago
  Yes. In particular, I don't ever want to be in the position that PC users are stuck in, where they can be forced to install certain stores just to get access to the games they want to play. And I certainly don't want to be stuck in the position that Android users are in, where they have to worry about what store they're using, where the software comes from, and whether the app they're about to install is legitimate and free of malware. There are freedoms to and freedoms from, and they're both important. As an iPhone user, I knowingly and willingly chose freedom from.
  - marcosscriven 6y ago
    None of that requires 30%.
  - grumple 6y ago

Konohamaru 6y ago

> I think though that their attempt to take Apple in the court of Public opinion is going to fall flat, because there are a lot more iOS users than Fortnite on iOS players. Good thing it's only the court of public law that counts. And I don't see how the Supreme Court could rule in favor of Apple, Inc when the District Court ruled Microsoft's bundling of IE as breaking US antitrust laws.

kodablah 6y ago

> I think though that their attempt to take Apple in the court of Public opinion is going to fall flat, because there are a lot more iOS users than Fortnite on iOS players. This naively assumes an iOS user is on Apple's side, and assumes that the court of public opinion excludes those users with neither iOS nor Fortnite yet have general opinions and business-stake on iOS options. I should also note that, for some of us, the court of public opinion and the court of legal opinion are different. I can disagree w/ Apple and disagree w/ their practices being deemed illegal.

sircastor 6y ago
I think most iOS users don't actually care, but they know that they get their phones from Apple, and some game company is trying to mess something up. I agree that the legal and the PR plays are separate, but if Epic were just trying to handle the legal issue, they wouldn't be making as big of a deal out of it. They're expecting to get something else from this.

klmadfejno 6y ago

Eh, I don't know. I think they've got a lot of positive momentum. I would bet generously on their future. * I despise fortnite. I don't know if it has longevity. But it's pretty damn ambitious and is closer to the metaverse than anyone has gotten in a frustrating sort of way * Unreal Engine is getting better by the day, is very dev friendly, and is likely going to grow in popularity as some of it's neat-o UE5 features take yet another chunk out of the pain of game dev for indies. Unity feels like takes one step forward, one step back every update. * Their app store has been on a roll lately with lots of games for free that I actually want to play(Civ 6, Overcooked, Total War Troy, Killing Floor 2, Torchlight, 20xx, Remnant, Enter the Gungeon). I've basically switched all of my attention from Steam to Epic and would probably purchase from there over steam if a game were available on both for the same price. The UI is worse, the networking client is worse, and the store pages are less informative; however I find their library of games to feel relatively well curated whereas steam has pages of crap that you need to sift through to find anything.

r00fus 6y ago
What do you mean that FN is closer to the "metaverse"?
- klmadfejno 6y ago
  Metaverse as described in Neal Stephenson's "Snowcrash" which was one of the first novels to describe a multiplayer VR world. Fun book. By closer I mean it's developing this weird culture as a place to just hang out in besides just playing rounds of the games. People watch movies and concerts and what not in the game. It has a higher level evolving plot line and culture. Like second life but mainstream; social media in video game form.