Hard Words to Apple and Google from Epic Games CEO

Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney once again expressed his criticism of major technology companies. Speaking at the Y Combinator event, Sweeney said Apple and Google have become the “mafia style” business. According to him, these companies are no longer the spirit of the law, but only according to their material interests. If the cost of violating the rules is low, they go through that road without blinking.

Epic Games has been open to monopolization in Apple and Google’s application stores for the last few years. The company filed a lawsuit against both giant companies on the grounds of monopoly and won the case against Google. In the case against Apple, a partial decision was made and the Apple had to allow alternative payment methods. However, the impact of this decision is limited.

Sweeney’s particularly focused on, Apple and Google’s frightening the user to prevent competition. Users who try to install the Android version of Epic Games Store encounter a warning by Google as “This application can damage your device”. Such screens cause more than half of users to give up uploading the application. According to Sweeney, this is a deliberate deterrence method.

A similar situation applies to the iOS platform. Thanks to the new regulations of the European Union, the Epic Games Store can be presented in iOS; However, Apple again shows the user warnings during installation. This also leads to a abandonment rate between 50-60 %. Sweeney says that such behavior undermines competition and manipulates the user.

Tim Sweeney emphasizes that these applications affect not only the user but also developers. Developers who want to distribute games through the Epic Games Store on the iOS side are taking back because of Apple’s cost structure. Apple demands 50 cents per year for each application exceeding 1 million downloads. This fee directly neutralizes games that can be played free of charge.

This cost pressure on the developer side also slows Epic’s growth of platform. Sweeney says that some old games are currently in the iOS version. The store, which is expected to become open to developers by the end of the year, can only expand in this way. But in the current conditions, large studios do not look hot at this model.

Sweeney’s criticism of the courts is also remarkable. According to him, Apple and Google are apparently implementing court decisions, but in fact they are in violation of the spirit of decisions. Although the commission seems to be a discount, developers are also faced with old costs with new load -based applications. This does not pave the way for competition, it only prevents in different ways.

Sweeney’s “Crime Pays” expression implies that these technology giants pushed moral and legal limits. Apple and Google continue to maintain the same applications due to the fact that the penalties remain small compared to the turnover. This structure takes away the chances of growth not only Epic but also many independent developers. In other words, the problem is not only commercial, but also creates a structural inequality.

Epic Games continues its struggle

Epic Games’ struggle in this field continues. In some regions, especially the European Union, regulations began to show its effect. However, the details in the application show that Apple and Google still do not leave control. Sweeney’s statements reveal that this process is still quite tough.