Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney has been a vocal critic of Apple and Google, dragging these tech giants to the court for their monopolistic behaviour. Recently, at a Y combinator event, Sweeney called out Apple and Google once again, labelling them as “gangster-style businesses” that engage in illegal practices. He also shared insights on how these tech companies have negatively impacted Epic Games’ business.
Lashing out at Google, Sweeney said that when gamers try to install Epic Games Store on their Android device, Google warns them that the software is from an “unknown source”, which, according to him, scares away 50-60 per cent of users. Apparently, this also holds true for iOS users in Europe, where Apple allows iPhone users to install third party app stores.
According to TechCrunch, Sweeney went on to claim that these warning screens are “textbook self-preferencing” and told the audience not much will change until enforcement becomes more vigorous. “The sad truth is that Apple and Google are no longer good-faith, law-abiding companies. They’re run, in many ways, as gangster-style businesses that will do anything they think they can get away with. If they think that the fine is going to be cheaper than the lost revenue from an illegal practice, they always continue the illegal practice and pay the fine”, he added.
Apple and Google have been fined by law enforcement agencies around the world for various violations including acting as a monopoly and closing doors for developers who don’t agree with their commission fees. As for Epic, the company has been battling with Apple and Google in the courts. While it did win against Google and lost the case against Apple, the court did force the iPhone maker to change its App Store rules and open up to competition.
The Fortnite executive also claimed that because of the friction and the fees applicable for third party apps on iPhones, no big name gaming studio is willing to publish their games on the Epic Games Store. However, with Epic opening up its store to developer submissions later this year, he hopes that things may change for good.
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