Fortnite will return to iOS in Europe, but not the App Store – News

If the most popular game in the Western world announces its return to iOS, it will not be as part of a reappearance on the App Store but thanks to the upcoming implementation of the Epic Games Store on iOS. An alternative store whose appearance will be authorized by the DMA Act, which will take effect after March 7, 2024 with update 17.4 for iOS devices. At first glance, this announcement looks like a victory for Tim Sweeney, who continues to drag Apple and Google to court so that everyone can set up their own app store on mobile platforms and thus bypass the 30% commission. ” Stay tuned for more details once we have a regulatory schedule established. We will continue to argue before the courts and regulators that Apple is breaking the law », announced Epic Games. Remember that iOS players are deprived of any updates Fortnite For over three years, the time corresponding to Chapter 2 Season 3.

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But Apple’s concession doesn’t mean Epic Games has won the battle and Tim Sweeney is far from his fight. Also the founder and CEO of Epic Games Big on potatoes

, because if Apple has complied with Europe’s demands, the opening of its ecosystem is taking place under particularly dubious conditions. In fact, alternative stores that want to find a place on iOS, such as the Epic Games Store, will only be able to do so in compliance with a set of conditions that remain radically favorable to the App Store and that are clearly not threatened. The latter predominates. When it comes to security, we guarantee you at Apple.

While Apple plays it like Unity

According to many observers, Apple’s terms are enough to discourage many people. Do you remember the installation tax project that led to Unity being publicly burned and its CEO kicked out? Believe it or not, the idea reached Cupertino under the name Core technology fee (Basic Technology Tax). Thanks to this discovery in the form of a real gas factory, developers in the 27 countries of the European Union who accept Apple’s new DMA conditions (a necessary step to bypass the App Store) will have to submit to a new system of proportional taxes. success of their application. Specifically, Apple will earn 50 cents for every download above a million installs, regardless of whether the app is free or not.

” Apple’s plan to thwart Europe’s new digital market law is another example of malicious compliance. Apple is forcing developers to choose between App Store exclusivity and store terms, which would be illegal under the Digital Markets Act, or accepting a new anti-competitive system, also illegal, that would provide new taxes on downloads and new Apple taxes on payments. is Do not process. Apple reserves the right to select authorized stores to compete with its App Store. It could prevent Epic from launching the Epic Games Store and distributing Fortnite through it, for example, or block Microsoft, Valve, good old games or new entrants.

“, the smoke Tim Sweeney.

And for once, even most of his detractors agree with him. ” Under Apple’s new EU terms, it now costs developers €0.50 to install an app. For an app with 8 million installs, that’s over $310,000 in fees per year, even if the app is free. “, Checked Internet user. ” Under the new App Store pricing structure for Europe, if you make $10 million in revenue, Apple’s share is $6.2 million per year. “, Notes Application Specialist.

An example used by the Numerama site is to say: “ Let’s take the example of an application downloaded 10 million times per year, which expects a turnover of 10 million euros in in-app purchases (for example, a streaming service). The old system cost him $250,000 in taxes, the new system cost him about $600,000. »

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Certainly, most nonprofit organizations, accredited educational institutions, and government organizations will be exempt from this new tax. But no one is fooled by the fact that Apple has set up a giant bogeyman to give the impression of complying with EU demands, while preventing anyone from looking anywhere but its App Store.

Tim Sweeney also points out the fee charged by Apple for the company to open its own application store: no less than a million dollars with a written guarantee from a banking institution. For Apple, this is once again a security measure aimed at preventing anyone who wants to install a virus-laden store. ” Epic was founded with a few thousand dollars in funding, which I earned mowing lawns. Apple did the same; Later, its first outside investor put in $250,000. Shame on Apple for closing the door to the future of computing to a new generation of innovators

“, Answer Tim Sweeney.

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