Fortnite
EpicLate yesterday, 9to5Google reported something rather strange. Epic was going to be submitting Fortnite to the Google Play Store, a switch from its self-distribution system currently on the platform, in an effort to get it into the âcorrectâ game distribution channel.
The problem? Epic was trying to submit it to the Play Store while asking for an exception to the 30% cut that Google takes from all game and app in the store (15% for subscription-based things).
As expected, Google shut this down pretty quickly and no, Epic is not being granted any special bonus revenue by heading to the Play Store without this cut. In response to this, Epic came out with the following statement to The Verge and other outlets clarifying its position and its attempt to bypass the cut:
âEpic doesnât seek a special exception for ourselves; rather we expect to see a general change to smartphone industry practices in this regard.
We have asked that Google not enforce its publicly stated expectation that products distributed through Google Play use Googleâs payment service for in-app purchase. We believe this form of tying of a mandatory payment service with a 30% fee is illegal in the case of a distribution platform with over 50% market share.
We note that Google Playâs Developer Distribution Agreement does not require developers use Google payments. It merely references a number of non-contractual documents asking developers to do so.
Further, Epic operates a major PC storefront and payment service and we do not force developers using our store to use our payment ecosystem.â
From what I can gather, this was more about making a point than it was actually getting approval, but the way Epic is going about making this argument is rather strange.
First of all, yes, Epicâs overall point that online stores like Google and Steam probably do not deserve their massive 30% cut, and at the very least, Epic is putting its money where its mouth is with its own store which makes the split 88-12 in the developerâs favor instead. Most developers and fans are generally on the same page that these megastores are pretty greedy when it comes to a huge cut for not doing all that much to earn it.
Fortnite
EpicAnd yet Epic is undercutting itself in a few ways here.
Google notes that Epic is distributing Fortnite through Appleâs iOS store, and unless they have cut some secret deal behind the scenes, they are presumably still paying Apple the same 30% cut to them, so why arenât they pulling this same stunt over there?
Past that, itâs kind of a bold statement to say that âyou believeâ something is illegal like tying a 30% cut to a monopoly distribution platform. You may believe itâs illegal, but is it? Is there precedent for that? What laws are you citing that Google is breaking? Are you going to be filing a lawsuit against them? If none of those questions have answers, itâs kind of just posturing. Though this does make me wonder if applying and getting rejected like this is the first step in a potential lawsuit in the future.
They can also say that Googleâs developer agreement is merely âsuggestingâ devs use Google payments and itâs not mandatory, but clearly, if you donât agree to that, you donât get approved, even if you arenât signing some sort of blood oath with them. And obviously Google was never going to approve an exemption for Fortnite just because itâs a Very Big Video Game, as that would open the floodgates to more and more exemptions from all over the store.
Finally, you can say you do it better on your own platform butâ¦this is not your platform. So whatâs the point of any of this?
Fundamentally, Epic is correct that these huge cuts feel bad and wrong and exploitative. It has that on its side. And yet this feels like a stunt without any meaningful impact, and confusing implementation given that theyâre not pulling the same thing over at Apple for reasons that remain unclear (maybe Google payments is a more restrictive system than Appleâs payment system? Not sure).
Epic is leading by example with its own storeâs more generous split, that is true, and yet this was a strange move that doesnât make a whole lot of sense when you dig into the argument its actually making. If theyâre filling a lawsuit to prove that Google and other stores are doing something illegal here, that would be a big deal. But instead just applying to bypass Googleâs rev share and getting promptly rejected doesnât really prove anything on it its own. Weâll have to see if this is part of some larger master plan or just an awkward attempt at making a point.
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