What Does Epic Games Have and Cannot Give with Google and Apple?

Let's imagine that we go to the market and buy vegetables or fruits from any shopkeeper. We met our needs, and the tradesmen earned money. Because the shopkeeper from whom we purchased the product opened a stall in the market to the owner of the marketplace made payment. No problem so far.

What about the owner of the place, other than the stall rent, asks for a share of the cost of each product? Finally, a shopkeeper with a large stall and hundreds of customers rebels. What happens if the market place owner comes and removes the tradesmen's stalls? The rebellion grows and all tradesmen, big and small, support the rebellion. What happens is to the marketplace owner and to us customers who cannot find what they are looking for in the marketplace.

This is exactly what is happening in the technology world. Marketplaces are actually application stores. Products sold and in-app services. Maybe we don't think much about what happens after we spend our money and meet our needs. But what do we do when we go to the market and cannot find what we are looking for? Epic GamesSupport for the rebellion movement that started with the removal of Fortnite, one of the most popular games in the world, from both the App Store and Google Play Store, came from Spotify.

What's Epic Games' problem? 

Epic Games, the market trader in the example we gave at the beginning of the article, does not want to pay high fees to Google and Apple for selling products in the marketplace Play Store and App Store. Apple and Google share what players spend in Fortnite 3 TL (i.e. 30%) of every 10 TL He cuts it and puts it in his pocket. Epic Games said, "Is there such a commission?" He is looking for his own way with his exit. 

Epic Games, which has established a new payment system that offers a 20% discount to players, is trying to avoid Apple and Google outages. According to Epic, the cuts are severely reducing its revenue. In addition, the company said that this is not only for itself and Fortnite, but also for in-app spending, in markets. Valid for millions of apps and games He argues that it is.

To be frank, Epic Games has a point. Of course, as owners of the marketplace, Apple and Google will receive commissions. However, the fact that this amount reached 30%, and in some cases even higher, became annoying for the parties developing the product. Epic Games is expected to make $5 billion in 2020, but make a profit of $1 billion from this money. It may not seem strange to you when the numbers are big, but it's not about making a lot of money. You have to spend a lot to earn a lot and if earnings decrease due to commissions, the customer, i.e. users, i.e. players, will be upset.

The war launched by Epic Games against Google and Apple is actually a result. It all started before:

Of course, a company that owns one of the most popular games in the world and is expected to make a profit of $1 billion in 2020 has no problem with money. Therefore its size Apple And GoogleHe can take responsibility by not hesitate to use it against . The crisis may grow as other companies that are large in their field support Epic Games, and marketplace owners Apple and Google suddenly face all major tradesmen. rebel flags see with

The lawsuit filed by Epic Games against Google and Apple sets a precedent for a crisis that will grow in the coming days. These two big technology companies, which have a monopoly on applications, have perhaps become the new kings of the order they criticized at the time. Criticism against Apple and Google peaked in June 2020; Epic Games and Match Group, the owner of Tinder, drew attention to the commissions (Tuğçe İçözü, Webrazzi).

In 1984, Apple, which was still a small company, chose an interesting way to announce its new computer, the Macintosh. The largest company of the period, IBM Apple, which describes it as a complete monsterWith the commercial it released, it showed that it would be the party that would destroy the system and change the order. And so it was. Apple and Google are now the new owners of the throne.

Instead of the "Big Boss" symbolizing IBM in the commercial released by Apple, it is in the advertisement published by Epic. figure of a wormy apple there is. A Fortnite character comes and makes him a local and starts the revolution. This reference may be a symbol of a long-standing crisis, a planned movement against Apple (and Google).

You cannot open a new account from the Netflix or Gmail application you installed on iOS:

The reason is simple; because if you open an account, part of the subscription fee you pay Discontinued by Apple. In response, companies such as Netflix direct users to their websites to open a subscription. The same goes for Google's Gmail app. Android There are also cuts by Google on the front. 

Apple and Google not only rent stalls in the marketplaces they own, but also wants a share of every sale, constantly imposes this. If we look at it from the perspective of developer companies and small entrepreneurs, the situation is as follows: You plant a fruit tree, take care of it, and lose money while selling it to the customer.

How might antitrust led by Apple and Google affect users?

First of all, experience. Not being able to open a Netflix account on a phone you bought for 15 thousand TL causes a huge disadvantage in the eyes of the user. On the other hand Fortnite A mobile application you use for entertainment or work, such as, suddenly can be removed from the store. 

Another effect of this situation on users is prices. Companies trying to make sales within the application despite commissions, to avoid loss of profit It pushes prices up. This negatively affects users' pockets. 

In conclusion It is not difficult to say that difficult days await Apple and Google.. Spotify, Netflix and other leading companies are likely to react harshly. We will see what will happen soon and share it with you.