Fortnite' Creator Aims to Bypass Apple, Google Fees
August 13 2020 - 12:16PM
Dow Jones News
By Sarah E. Needleman
"Fortnite" creator Epic Games Inc. is launching a new payment
system for mobile players that bypasses the fees Apple Inc. and
Google charge developers, a move that appears to violate the
companies' app store rules and reflects growing pushback over the
marketplace power the tech giants hold.
Epic on Thursday said it is giving "Fortnite" players the option
to buy digital goods for up to 20% less than what Apple and
Alphabet Inc.-owned Google would charge in their app stores. The
survival game is free to play and generates revenue through sales
of such items.
"Fortnite" has more than 350 million registered players,
according to closely held Epic, making it one of the most popular
videogames in the world.
Originally available only on computers and later consoles,
"Fortnite" surged in users after launching on Apple's App Store in
2018. It debuted on Google's Play store earlier this year after
Epic gave up a yearslong battle with the company to get permission
to include its own payment system inside "Fortnite" -- which is
essentially what Epic is doing now. Previously, "Fortnite" was
available on Google-supported devices independent of Google
Play.
Google and Apple account for the overwhelming majority of sales
generated from download fees and in-app purchases. Epic has been
among the most outspoken of app makers to criticize the 30% fee the
companies charge developers for those processing transactions.
The announcement comes at a time when Congress and federal
authorities are probing whether the nation's biggest technology
companies engage in anticompetitive practices. Apple and Google
have defended their app-store fees, saying they are necessary
because of the services the companies provide, including security
and safeguarding user privacy.
Epic, Apple and Google didn't immediately respond to requests
for comment.
Write to Sarah E. Needleman at sarah.needleman@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
August 13, 2020 12:01 ET (16:01 GMT)
Copyright (c) 2020 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
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