Battle Royale Inbetween Apple and EPIC - to terminate dev accounts that affects the Unreal Engine
Apple threatens to remove EPIC from the developer program. Earlier on w reported that Apple single sidely removed Fornite from the Apply Store distribution platform.
Apple is now terminating inclusion in the Apple Developer Program, a membership that is required to distribute applications on iOS devices or use Apple development tools, if the company does not comply to their agreement within two weeks, according to a letter from Apple that was shared by Epic. Epic will also not be able to approve Mac applications, a process that could make it difficult to install Epic software or block it entirely. Apple requires that all applications be approved before they can run on newer versions of macOS, even if they are distributed outside of the App Store.
Fortnite was pulled from the App Store (and Google Play Store) last week. Epic Games added a new option that allows players outside of Apple to purchase in-game digital extras. In doing so, the company violated the rules of the App Store.
Epic has filed a preliminary injunction against Apple, asking the court to stop the company from doing this. Epic says there will be "irreparably damaged long before the final judgment" if it doesn't get the court order. "Apple's actions will irreparably damage Epic's reputation among Fortnite users and will be catastrophic for the future of the independent Unreal Engine business," Epic writes.
Apple said it would like to keep Epic as part of the Apple Developer Program and that Epic could easily fix the problem it created for itself by bringing Fortnite back into line with the terms. "We are not making an exception for Epic because we don't think it is right to prioritize their business purposes over the guidelines that protect our customers."
Epic now further cites that Apple CEO Tim Cook declared to the US Congress two weeks ago that Apple does not retaliate against developers who express their frustration with the App Store. "Apple is now doing just that," said Epic.
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It's very ironic that the same company people were calling "anti-competitive" just a year ago, is now pointing the finger at Apple and calling them anti-competitive. Now I'm not saying Apple is right in what they want in a cut of profits, but there are a couple factors to look at.
- Apple has given Epic plenty of screen time and support as a partner for years now, including them in Keynotes and presentations and such. Even considering Epic is one of the top developers for iOS, this is a pretty shitty way for Epic to treat them.
- 30% cut seems high, but also think that Apple gave a lot of headroom and front page space for Epic and Fortnite on all of their platforms. Let's be real, 30% cut is not hurting Epic at all. Fortnite prints money on every platform its on.
- Gonna compare my family life to this situation. Epic broke Apple's own TOS on purpose, knowing the course of action they were going to take and then complained about it. They're going to court, because they knowingly and willingly went against Apple's TOS they agreed to when they became a developer for iOS and wanted use of the App Store. That's like me hitting my brother on purpose in front of my dad, and then complaining and getting mad I got in trouble. This is a very backhanded and childish way to get what you want.
To me it seems like Epic is doing this to try to gain favor with the public and tech communities. Think about it, Epic did the same thing in Google's Play Store, yet no one is ranting or raving about that. Generally in the tech community, the cool thing to do is to hate on Apple, be against Apple, just be the opposite of Apple.
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I am not American, I do not live in America, I am not a USA official, I do not care about Apple.

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You don't have to be a US citizen in order to care about Apple and its products/services. This affects a wide range of people.
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Personally I don't give a rats hiney about Apples closed ecosystem because if I really wanted to I could jail break my phone. I have an old Macbook Pro that's never seen Mac OS booted for more than 20 minutes(to install boot camp). I won't ever buy a Mac again as I got it on employee discount(used to work for apple care lol) and being a hardcore PC gamer a Mac has never suited me. I do however care about the shady stuff Epic has been pulling not forgetting about their "EGS exclusive" and what not.
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Well for me personally the motivation is a big part in this. Since it's greed in both cases of Apple and Epic, I don't care who wins. In the long run, sadly, I doubt any of the money they're argueing over would end up in the user's pocket anyway.
I share your opinion on Apple and it's ecosystem, haven't had any Apple products since my Ipod Nano 2 (and already was annoyed by iTunes back then). But what Epic does here honestly has nothing to do with a closed up ecosystem in any way... it's just about that share of % Apple takes. If Apple takes less, Epic wouldn't give a F about it being closed up, that's why I don't care if Epic wins.