There are reports going around where, according to some interpretations, developers using Unreal 4 will have no choice but to port their projects to Unity, Godot, or another mobile-friendly engine if they want to make iOS games.
This is occurring amid a series of powerplays by Epic Games in a bid to force iOS into becoming a more open platform (where third-party stores are allowed). They are doing the same against Google as well, so I am left to wonder if Unreal devs. could end up losing the ability to export to mobile entirely (which would be a major loss to those who left Unity out of disgust and may now have no choice but to go back).
This just exposes Apple’s monopolistic practices, which, I think, is Epic’s goal. Funny how Apple complained about Microsoft doing the same thing back in the day.
I have no love for either company. However, if Epic does manage to get what they want by reducing Apple’s cut of the profits at least more companies will get more money in the long run. At least some good, even if Epic’s motives are questionable.
Honestly, I think Apple might have bit itself in the foot by going after the Unreal Engine as well. This will very likely sour relationships Apple has with multiple companies who make games with Unreal on MacOS. Dragging others into this battle is not how you strengthen trust in your platform.
Apple had to let TV Streaming services manage their own subscriptions otherwise AppleTV would’ve been dead by now, my NOWTV subscription is handled outside of the Appstore.
Not sure why Apple feels it needs to fight this battle it could end up losing the war in a huge antitrust case.
30% is not unreasonable for one off payments but when Apple adds absolutely no value to repeat payments then 30% is a huge urine take. It’s entirely anti-consumerism and whatever beef they have with Epic the collateral damage is a lot of developers who entirely blameless in this who Apple shows complete contempt for.
If Apple wins this case they would be buoyed by the win and then will accelerate their plans to make ALL software have to be installed via the Appstore. People should remember Apple uses the Appstore data to see which applications and features are popular and will often develop features or Apps which destroy developers overnight, you have been ‘Sherlocked’…
my 2 cents.
Since Apple products are expensive, they shouldn’t also expect excessive costs from app developers just because they deposit their apps on the appstore.
I think the larger picture is about Apple wanting to become it’s own universe. They are forcing developers to conform to their rules or get kicked out of the ecosystem.
The new version of iOS coming out could possibly limit what developers can make from advertising on the platform with it’s new privacy settings, which is a good thing for users short term (less targeted ads), but users will lose in the long term due to developers migrating away from iOS.
Apple, on the other hand, has it’s own ad-personalization system and users have to search through a bunch of settings on their device to opt out. From a Verge article: “…Apple doesn’t have to move data between companies to run its ad business — because it owns the device, the operating system, the App Store, the data, and the advertising network.”
The spat has been dragging on, and Epic is now asking a federal judge to force Apple into putting Fortnite back on the app. store (with the TOS violating code still in place).
If the comments are any indication, many are no longer cheering for Epic as the company continues making statements such as how they are suffering irrepairable damage from lost Fortnite money. It is starting to appear that they will continue to fight, even if it completely breaks them in the process (to the dismay of Unreal and Quixel users)
