Ooh, this is just getting tastier and tastier.
As per The Verge, Google has yeeted Fortnite right off their Play Store, hot on the heels of Apple doing the exact same thing. Epic responded in kind by unleashing their #FreeFortnite ad campaign, which has been met with decidedly mixed responses.
So, why Google? Well, as it turns out, Epic’s little update that allowed you to pay them directly for microtransactions also runs afoul of Play Store policies. While a bit less restrictive than Apple, Google still has a hardline stance about making purchases through their store - namely, that they get a cut. That cut? Why, the same 30% cut that Apple takes, of course!
Google had this to say about the decision:
While Fortnite remains available on Android, we can no longer make it available on Play because it violates our policies. However, we welcome the opportunity to continue our discussions with Epic and bring Fortnite back to Google Play.
Well, there you have it. Epic’s flown in the face of both Apple and Google’s policies, and in return, got booted off their stores. It’s a lot like that famous news quote from a stabbing victim: “what are you gonna do, stab me?” I say this because it’s not entirely clear what Epic thought was going to happen here.
Only it probably was. You don’t just throw together an ad campaign in a night. No, this is probably a huge PR stunt on their end - positioning themselves as freedom fighters up against corporate tyranny. Obviously, that’s a ploy, because they’re owned in part by a corporation that does the literal same thing Google and Apple do. That said, it’s a pretty smart ploy, and a great way to whip gamers into a frenzy.
How will this pan out? Who’s to say! What is clear, however, is that we’re on the precipice of a very long, very ugly legal battle that’ll likely shape the future of digital distribution in ways that we can’t even fathom right now. Exciting!
