It didn't take long for Fortnite to try to circumvent the App Store's 30% commission before Apple pulled the game from its platform and Google pulled it from the Play Store as well. But now it seems that everything went according to Epic's plan: the video game giant immediately sued Apple and Google, denouncing their monopoly practices, and began mobilizing players to complain to the game's owner. App store. So what is Epic's strategy? Judging by Epic Games' complaint against Apple, it's not about reducing App Store share. It's about breaking Apple's control over what software is allowed and prohibited on iOS, as well as how consumers pay developers. Epic filed a second lawsuit against Google, but without as much fuss and with more or less similar goals: to put an end to the alleged monopolistic and anti-competitive practices. Indirectly, breaking control of Apple and Google could allow Epic to launch its own App Store on iOS and Android, which could be an extension of the PC-based mobile Epic Store. What Epic CEO Tim Sweeney said he wanted to do last June. Let's start with what Epic is not asking for, as shown in paragraph 21 of Apple's lawsuit: "Epic is not pursuing this case to recover compensation; Epic is not asking for any financial compensation. Rather, Epic is looking to end Apple's dominance in key technology markets, to open up the space for progress and development." ingenuity, and to ensure that Apple mobile devices are open to the same competition as Apple personal computers. As such, Epic respectfully requests from this Court that Apple continue to impose its anti-competitive restrictions on the iOS ecosystem and make 2020 not like '1984'”. This is actually the second sarcastic reference to Apple's famous "1984" Superbowl commercial the company has ever made; the first was an epic knockoff video that replaced the iconic heroine Hammerhead with a character. from Fortnite who hurled a unicorn ax (a signature weapon in the game) at a screen dominated by some sort of apple-headed dictator: And who better than Epic can secure this competition? After all, it's already taken on another titanic storefront, Steam, to carve out a foothold in the PC market. It's not very subtle, and Epic's subsequent call for players to complain to Apple on Fortnite's behalf wasn't very subtle either. Support for the creation of hashtags. All to say that Epic has prepared a campaign of social influence (and legal pressure) to simultaneously attack the App Store installed on iOS devices, while playing the victim for Fortnite's avid player base. This huge effort seems overkill if it's simply meant to pressure Apple to cut its stake by 30%; instead, much of the text of the complaint against Apple's monopoly on software distribution. on iOS (via the App Store) and in-app checkout. And then Epic lays out all of this in paragraph 16 of the complaint against Apple: “Without these illegal restrictions from Apple, Epic would provide a competing App Store on iOS devices, which would allow iOS users to download apps from an innovative and well-sourced store. organized and give them the option to use it. 'Epic or other third party in-app payment processor. Although Epic's complaint against Google uses similar language, there are also some relevant and revealing Android-related allegations that the company was supposed to run its own app stores on OnePlus and LG devices, but for Google: "Epic has reached a agreement with OnePlus to make Epic games available on their phones through an Epic Games app. The Epic Games app has reportedly allowed users to install and update Epic games, including Fortnite. , without the obstacles imposed by Google's Android operating system. But Google forced OnePlus to reverse the deal, citing Google's "particular concern" about Epic's ability to install and update mobile phone games "bypassing the Google Play store." Epic is gaining sympathy across the board. In the lawsuit, the company insists that Apple's App Store, as it currently stands, is anti-competitive and monopolistic, calling Apple's cut an "oppressive 30% tax." In its FAQ, Epic blamed Apple, claims it's blocking Fortnite, wants updates, and basically targets players to save money.