Epic wants to play the long game. They want the Epic Games store on PC and mobile and Apple is half of mobile. Having an opportunity to become the Steam of mobile is a very valuable proposition, especially given that IOS was apparently less than 10% of Fortnite income.
I see it as the opposeite of emotive; it's a cold calculation playing a very long game with hopes of market capture in a scene where no one else seems to care about premium games (including Epic. But who knows how that will turn out over the decade).
Like Google in its past “don’t do evil” life, Apple still strongly believes that they are the good guys by default, simply by existing. That kind of culture can make a corporation oblivious to the influence they’re actually having.
AFAIK the only reason anyone uses Epic Games Store is for Fortnite. Can Epic really count on that to carry them? It’s been a lasting fad for sure, but all fads end.
I'd love to know just as much as you do. Valve just hasn't shown much interest in mobile ever. Even the few games they have on mobile are older games that Nvidia decided to port for them once upon a time. They've shown interest in Linux and VR, but never mobile.
If that demand does exist, and Valve just doesn't want to invest, I can see where Epic wants to come in.
>an Epic really count on that to carry them? It’s been a lasting fad for sure, but all fads end.
I'm not sure. It's a risk but there's multiple ways to approach it. I imagine such a model would have a mix of large f2p games that can advertise itself and premium games to try and attract core gamers or those who do not want to be nickle and dimed by f2p games.
But at the same time that justifies the attempt. Fortnite probably won't last forever, so the need to find a more stable financial stream while they have the money flowing in makes sense.
But Apple really should have handled this better. Being made to look like the bad guys against Epic seems impossible, but they’ve done it.
I guess private toll operators can’t prevent repeat drunk drivers using their roads, even if they do the same “trust us, just because” nonsense Sweeney has written.
Their restrictions are the only reason why Epic can do what they are doing. If a developer account was not necessary to publish anything on iOS no one would care.
Tim Sweeney can (or hopes he can) get away with it because the DMA really doesn't care about feeling and limits the contractual freedom of the gatekeeper (aka Apple) at least in the spirit and quite likely also in the letter of the law after this goes to court (or if Apple folds of course)