Fortnite’s beef with Apple and Google, explained

This is so much.

Welcome to FTW Explains: a guide to catching up on and better understanding stuff going on in the world.

Fortnite and its parent company Epic Games have never been afraid to shake things up. That’s how it became the most popular game in the world today.

Now, they’re taking that same attitude that got them there to the doorsteps of two of the biggest tech companies in the world in Apple and Google.

Fortnite mysteriously disappeared from the Apple Store on Thursday without a trace. If users already had the game downloaded to their phones, it was still there. But anyone looking for the game? It was nowhere to be found.

Come to find out, Apple flatout removed it from the App Store.

A few hours later, it was also banned on Google’s Play Store.

Then, shortly after that, Epic Games dropped a commercial on Fortnite and YouTube called “Nineteen-Eighty-Fortnite” and everything went off the rails.

Lost in all the madness? Don’t worry. Here’s what’s happening.

Wait, wait, wait. Why did Apple ban Fortnite?

So on Fortnite, there are these things called V-Bucks. Think of them as virtual tokens you can use to purchase new “skins” and collectables on the game.

To actually get V-Bucks, though, you pay real life cash. Generally speaking, to this point, about 1,000 V-Bucks cost $9.99 in real life when purchased through the Apple Store or the Google Play store. Until now, those have been the only mediums to purchase them through on mobile platforms.

Until now, anyway. And here’s where things get tricky and the beef starts brewing.

Epic Games changed that. They created an in-game direct payment system that charged $7.99 for those same 1,000 V-Bucks instead of $9.99.

So they’re saving gamers a couple of dollars?

Yup, exactly. Instead of having them pay for the V-Bucks through Apple’s and Google’s systems, they give them a better deal in doing it through their own.

Why would they be shut down for that?

Well, it’s a problem for Apple and Google as the hosting platforms. This tweet from Esports expert Matthew Ball explains it well.

In exchange for hosting Fortnite on the App Store on the Google Play Store, the platforms review the app for users and charge a 30% commission on in-app purchases.

Epic Game’s in-game store circumvents that 30% commission, which Apple and Google say is a violation of the original agreement. So, therefore, they’ve removed the game.

So as long as this in-app store exists we won’t see Fortnite on our phones?

If you don’t already have it, no. At least not for iPhones anyway. Fortnite is still available through other app stores on Android systems. Tough luck, iPhone crowd.

Don’t worry. Epic Games isn’t sitting still, though. They’re suing both Google and Apple for the removal of the game from their platforms. And, the thing is, they clearly expected this to happen.

What do you mean?

Epic Games broke out those lawsuits against both companies shortly after Fortnite was removed from both Google Play and the App Store. They counted on each company taking the actions they did.

And, as a public response, they dropped a Fortnite-style commercial you might recognize.

This is a clear shot at Apple’s famous Super Bowl commercial set in an Orewllian “1984” dystopia from back in the day.

That’s feels mad dramatic here, but whatever. You get the point.

What’s their purpose in all of this?

That’s the thing — it’s hard to really say. They’re calling the current system they’re working in a “monopoly,” and they’ll battle it out in court to try and prove it.

But, honestly, it just seems like they’re trying to skip over paying the commission fee to their current distributors in Apple and Google which…fine.

But they’ve turned this into a public relations battle and it’s hard to tell how much ground they actually have to stand on.

This is weird and complicated.

Very much so. But it’s not going anywhere anytime soon. Fortnite fans, you’ll want to keep your eyes on this one.

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