Epic Games Is Launching Webshops To Circumvent App Store Fees (techcrunch.com) 15
An anonymous reader quotes a report from TechCrunch: Epic Games is taking a victory lap. After notching a big win against Apple in a years-long legal dispute, Epic announced that its Epic Games Store will allow developers to open webshops, which can offer players out-of-app purchases to circumvent fees from Apple and Google. [...] With the Epic Games Store's new webshops feature, other developers will be more easily able to follow suit.
Usually, Epic takes a 12% share of a developer's earnings from the Epic Games Store, which is still a better deal than what developers get from Apple. But starting in June, Epic Games will not take a cut from the first $1 million each game earns annually. Only after a game eclipses $1 million in revenue will Epic begin taking a cut. "With new legal rulings in place, developers will be able to send players from games to make digital purchases from webshops on any platform that allows it, including iOS in the European Union and United States," Epic said.
Usually, Epic takes a 12% share of a developer's earnings from the Epic Games Store, which is still a better deal than what developers get from Apple. But starting in June, Epic Games will not take a cut from the first $1 million each game earns annually. Only after a game eclipses $1 million in revenue will Epic begin taking a cut. "With new legal rulings in place, developers will be able to send players from games to make digital purchases from webshops on any platform that allows it, including iOS in the European Union and United States," Epic said.
meet the new boss (Score:1)
Same as the old boss
Re: meet the new boss (Score:3, Interesting)
There is no new boss. Apple repeatedly lied to the court about their app store financials, then they disobeyed the court's orders both in letter and in spirit when they were told to allow third party payments.
So now that they proved that they can't be trusted with either, they're stuck in a position to where they now have a very high burden of proof for what costs they'd have to pass on to developers just to break even. That's assuming that the appeals court even agrees to let them do that, because even if
Re: (Score:3)
Whatever, pick your favorite middle-man. There was a time before Android and iOS where you could choose to purchase software anywhere and install it as you see fit by whatever means worked for you. There may or may not have been a middle-man.
This fight between Apple and Epic Games is not about you and not about your choices, the fight is about who gets to stand in your way and demand a fee. Apparently, Apple cannot be the only troll in the app business. But there will still be a troll and that troll will ta
Re: (Score:1, Troll)
Whatever, pick your favorite middle-man. There was a time before Android and iOS where you could choose to purchase software anywhere and install it as you see fit by whatever means worked for you. There may or may not have been a middle-man.
This fight between Apple and Epic Games is not about you and not about your choices, the fight is about who gets to stand in your way and demand a fee. Apparently, Apple cannot be the only troll in the app business. But there will still be a troll and that troll will take your money.
Hoooboy ... You clearly don't grasp the gravity of this ruling. There is no more middleman. This permanent injunction means every developer, not just Epic, because it applies specifically to Apple, and only Apple. Any developer can just point their users right to their own website, or any website, to make payment. There's fuck all Apple can do about it.
In this case, here you have Epic providing a service to other developers, which in this case just seems to be offering an easy to set up payment system with
Less shitty (Score:4, Informative)
A lot less shitty than Apple and Steam (30%).
Re:Less shitty (Score:4, Insightful)
Probably because they are a much smaller market.
If they win any sizeable market share, their prices will go right up.
Re: (Score:2)
I don't think that is an issue. If the prices become uncompetitive then someone else (even Apple) is free to step in and offer a cheaper alternative.
The whole reason Apple got away with charging so much was because they set the App Store rules so no-one could offer an alternative.
will the apple technology fee be removed? apps (Score:2, Interesting)
will the apple technology fee be removed? apps go back to the apple store and skip apple pay?
Re: will the apple technology fee be removed? apps (Score:1)
In a word? Yes. The court gave a specific order that apple cease any and all restrictions on how app developers may link to their own websites, cease any and all "scare" dialogues except for the court approved one (which is just a notification that the user is opening safari) and apple is to cease any and all fees and audits for payments made to third parties via their apps. Among a long list of other things. Only applies to the US though, apple is still free to maliciously comply in Europe. Tim Cook assume
Re: (Score:3)
will the apple technology fee be removed? apps go back to the apple store and skip apple pay?
Apple sent an email saying that the restrictions are lifted in the US. The injunction doesn't apply to Europe. But Europe is annoyed by Apple side-stepping the DMA, so Apple is likely to just abandon the Apple Store restrictions everywhere.
Re: (Score:1)
Apple gets a cut of app sales, which is more than they deserve since developers are forced to distribute apps through it if they want to reach users locked in Apple's private garden.