Some of the biggest news in tech recently has come around the legal dispute taking place between games developer Epic Games, and the tech giants of Google and Apple. The conflict started a number of weeks ago when Epic Games added a direct payment method to their flagship title in Fortnite for users to buy the in-game currency at a lower price than that which had been offered through the Apple and Google marketplaces, this however was in violation of the terms of service and a quick response had been given as the popular game was quickly removed from both marketplaces, and to this day still remains blocked.
There had been a recent protest from A stalemate for epic suggesting that the removal of their game from the marketplaces during the proceedings of the legal battle had been causing a lot of damage to the brand and had been adversely impacting the millions of users that play – the most recent development that had come from this had bene the request to have the game reinstated but was quickly shut down by the courts and as such will remain unable to receive updates until May as the earliest estimate, but this isn’t the only change that could be seen as expectations continue to shift.
The biggest changes could come to the way the marketplaces operate if a stalemate for epic Games are successful in their pursuit for change – a crux of the argument is that the 30% tax levied on developers and operators to use these platforms reduces any possibility of competition as the rate is so high, as such alongside other terms of service it may have encouraged certain genres to operate elsewhere with the biggest likely being in the betting and gambling industry – there have been many restrictions placed on them in recent months through the introduction of measures such as Gamstop which aims at reducing participation options for players alongside the lack of representation on these marketplaces, but has been one of the targets for change if adjustments are made it could see many operators find access once again, particularly if the 30% levy charge is reduced or removed entirely – for many fans, they have had to turn to alternatives as there are still some sites not blocked by gamstop, but wider representation across the marketplaces would be a huge benefit.
There is of course the other side of the coin to consider too as the argument from Apple views things very differently – their current argument is that this ongoing legal battle is nothing more than a publicity stunt to drive up interest in the game suggesting that figures for the flagship title had been falling in recent years however that’s something unlikely to be considered in the proceedings – there has recently been movement in others joining the battle against Apple however, particularly those who have had disagreements or previous legal battles in the past. It will likely be quite some time before anything is finally settled, early suggestions have pointed to May next year, but it may be important to keep a close eye on how things change as it may shape the future of our mobile marketplaces and the future of how apps are developed moving forward.
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