Facebook is helping Fortnite maker Epic Games in its legal battle against Apple
Facebook has been playing a major role in helping Epic Games, the developer of successful game titles like “Fortnite” and “Gears of War”. From launching a new program within Facebook to supporting ongoing projects, Facebook has been making moves that show they have Epic Games’ best interests in mind.
In this article, we will look at what Facebook is doing to support Epic Games and their portfolio of projects.
Specifically, we will discuss the partnership between the two companies around Facebook Live and Oculus Rift and the associated development initiatives currently underway. We will also explore how Epic Games is leveraging its resources for maximum effect to better penetrate markets and create unique user experiences. Finally, we will consider how Epic Games benefitting from all this assistance from Facebook could help propel them further into the gaming industry.
Epic Games’ Legal Battle with Apple
Epic Games’ legal battle against Apple is all the rage right now. Apple has removed Fortnite from its App Store, and Epic Games is filing lawsuits against Apple to ensure their beloved game remains on the App Store.
Fortunately, Facebook is coming to the rescue and supporting Epic Games with their legal battle. Let’s look at how exactly Facebook is helping Epic Games in their fight against Apple.
Overview of the Dispute
The dispute between tech giant Apple and game developer Epic Games centres on the fees Apple imposes on app developers offering purchases within their app, commonly known as in-app purchasing.
Epic Games’ flagship game, Fortnite, is a popular topic in the gaming world and has a cult following of dedicated players.
On August 13th 2020, Epic Games intentionally violated Apple’s App Store guidelines by launching its direct payment system for Fortnite users–circumventing the standard 30% cut that Apple takes from in-app purchases. In response to this perceived violation, Apple removed Fortnite from the App Store and sent an official notice outlining additional steps before it could be reinstated to Epic Games.
Following this incident, Epic Games has launched a campaign using the hashtag #FreeFortnite. The campaign includes legal action taken against Apple. In addition, it attempts to rally public support while increasing consumer awareness of the potential consequences of allowing large corporations such as Apple dictating how users consume content.
In addition, Epic Games lawsuit requests an injunction ordering Apple cease blocking developer access to its platform; additionally Facebook has filed a motion with U.S. District Court expressing support for Epic’s position in the suit against Apple. This filing is meant to show how much of an impact these policies have on smaller developers who may not have the resources of another tech giant like Facebook behind them in challenging these practices by larger entities such as Apple or Google Play Store policies considered anti-competitive by some observers.
Epic Games Files Antitrust Lawsuits Against Apple
On August 13th, Epic Games Inc., the developer of Fortnite, filed two antitrust lawsuits against Apple in California and North Carolina district courts. The suit claims that Apple has long maintained a monopoly on the app stores for iPhones and other Apple products. Specifically, Epic Games is challenging the iPhone maker’s 30% cut it takes from all in-app purchases and rules that disallow users from downloading other app stores on their devices, a practice known as “tying”.
Facebook has come out supporting Epic Games and its lawsuit against Apple. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg released a statement saying, “We believe in giving people more control over their phones so developers can make more money and reach more people […] We think this is an important issue because people deserve to know what’s going on with these important issues of ownership and control over their digital devices.”
Facebook has been actively supporting Epic Games during the lawsuit by filing briefs against Apple’s motions in both district courts and recruiting public interest organisations to back up Epic Games’ arguments. Additionally, Facebook has contributed to organising coalition efforts to draw attention to the broader implications of Apple’s market power. Finally, by being vocal about its disagreement of Apple’s policies, Facebook is looking to boost competition amongst app stores by improving access for 3rd party developers who seek alternative methods for monetizing their products.
How is Facebook Helping Epic Games?
Facebook has recently announced its support for Fortnite maker Epic Games in its legal battle against Apple.
Facebook offers Epic Games financial and technical assistance to help them fight. The exact details of how Facebook is helping Epic Games remain unclear, but this article will look into the various ways Facebook is offering their support.
Facebook Launches #FreeFortnite Campaign
In response to Epic Games filing a lawsuit against Apple, Facebook launched a #FreeFortnite campaign on its social media platforms to support the gaming company. The campaign rallies public opinion in favour of Epic Games and its flagship game, Fortnite, which was removed from Apple’s App Store in August 2020 due to a direct violation of its rules.
Facebook’s campaign seeks to put public pressure on Apple for acting against Epic Games and using its market clout to reject competition. In addition, through providing an online venue for people interested in the matter to discuss their views and share their stories, Facebook has positioned itself as an advocate for change and progress focused on improving consumer rights on behalf of both companies and consumers alike. This proactive stand puts Facebook at the centre of a movement that could benefit Epic Games while simultaneously positioning it as a technology giant willing to take bold moves when it believes in them and isn’t afraid to stand up for what it believes is right.
The #FreeFortnite hashtag is the primary hashtag used by Facebook’s #FreeFortnite Campaign, alongside other related hashtags such as ‘#EpicvsApple’, ‘#FairPlay’, ”UnfairAppStorePractices’. The campaign has allowed people who agree with Epic Games’ stance concerning this lawsuit against Apple or are interested in these events to easily join conversations about it using these specific hashtags. Additionally, by using these hashtags instead of flooded generic words like ‘lawsuit’ or ‘Apple’, Facebook was able turn this statement into more than just words but into something tangible: a movement rallying around a common belief held by many different individuals from different walks of life around the world – ultimately giving voice to those otherwise without one.
Facebook Announces Plans to Support Epic Games’ Legal Battle
Facebook recently announced their backing of Epic Games regarding their legal battle against Apple and Google. In early August 2020, Epic Games released an update to the smartphone version of its popular video game, Fortnite. Unfortunately, this disrupted the industry when Epic Games bypassed Apple and Google’s revenue stream by offering its own in-app payments system. In response, Apple removed Fortnite from its App Store and Google removed it from the Play Store.
Shortly after that, Epic Games brought a lawsuit against both companies, alleging that they have anti-competitive policies and practices allowing them to exercise power over other market players unjustly. As part of the suit, Epic has asked for an injunction that would prevent Apple from retaliating against developers who use alternative payment systems.
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has offered his backing for this motion – he believes this case is “about much more than just about a payment system or technology platform”. He argues that if Apple is not held accountable for its actions, it will be able to continue through its cycles of power abuse with impunity as other companies won’t want to risk incurring their wrath by challenging them in court.
In addition to vocal support from Zuckerberg’s camp—including Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg–Facebook has also agreed to provide financial support by covering some of Epic’s legal defence costs. This transaction adds another layer to one of the biggest Silicon Valley courtroom dramas we’ve seen yet!
