Epic to host a #FreeFortnite tournament Aug. 23, with prizes including gaming hardware, encourages players to “fight against the App Store” on social media
the psychological battle of an age cohort of gamers. The evil archetype is being established and it is using Apple, a company older then most dads of the gamers as the Achilles heel. It has impact. https://twitter.com/... Ian Betteridge / @ianbetteridge : I mean, I'm not saying that Epic is coming across like a spoiled 5 year old getting “revenge” on a grown up who's told them “no” by building them into Minecraft to destroy them, but... https://www.theverge.com/... Martin Sfp Bryant / @martinsfp : This is somewhere between 🙃 and 🙄 https://twitter.com/...
The timing matters: Apple has told Epic that all of Epic's developer accounts will be terminated on August 28, which would cut off iOS development entirely. With the courtroom fight underway, Epic is building public sentiment as a second front — and commentary captured in the coverage shows the gambit reading to some observers as savvy, to others as petulant.
First-order effects
Fortnite players become active participants in the dispute — encouraged to switch off iOS and tweet at Apple under #FreeFortnite — converting Epic's largest asset, its player base, into a lobbying channel aimed directly at Apple.
Second-order effects
Apple faces pressure on two fronts simultaneously: the August 28 developer-account termination gives it a hard enforcement decision to make just as Epic amplifies the dispute publicly, raising the reputational cost of simply executing the termination.
Third-order effects
If the pattern holds — player mobilization reinforcing litigation — the endpoint arrives five years later in this same arc: a judge ruling Apple and Google's app stores anticompetitive, after which Epic announces bringing Fortnite back to iOS in Australia. Platform gatekeeping disputes increasingly get settled by courts, but public campaigns shape which fights reach that point.
The trend: Developer-versus-platform conflicts are becoming crowd-sourced antitrust campaigns, where studios turn their player communities into pressure groups ahead of regulatory rulings.
All of your friends. Fabulous prizes. And one bad apple. We're droppin the #FreeFortnite Cup on August 23. Check out our blog for full info: https://fn.gg/...
Epic may be in the right going after Apple, but it sure would be nice if it wasn't being absolutely insufferable in the process https://twitter.com/...
meanwhile, the Fortnite players Epic is trying to use to protest Apple aren't too happy themselves with how Epic is handling the game https://twitter.com/...
I love that Epic is so salty about the Apple / iOS situation that they're releasing a special skin in the #FREEFORTNITECUP just to torment their adversary. Behold.. Tart Tycoon. https://twitter.com/...
Epic Games has upgraded its #FreeFortnite Battle Pass to a new level: Merchandising. Come for the antitrust claims, stay for the hats...in #VirtualLegality. “Epic vs Everyone: Federal Lawsuit as Marketing Campaign (VL293)” VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/... https://twitter.com/..…
@jcenters @zcichy The saddest part is that none of this “Free Fortnite” posturing is going to do anything other than rile people up into toxic behavior. Ultimately this is going to be decided in a series of courtrooms far, far away from the Apple and Epic communities now dogpilin…
I would probably be a lot more sympathetic to Epic if they weren't trying to recruit my son in their corporate PR war. It's sleazy. https://twitter.com/...
ICYMI: Compete in the #FreeFortnite Cup, happening this Sunday - August 23! We're giving away more prizes than ever before! Compete for an opportunity to win the new Tart Tycoon Outfit, gaming hardware, and exclusive apparel. Read more in our blog: https://fn.gg/... https://twitt…
Also, while we're talking 30%, I'm all for creators getting bigger cuts of the content they create. 85% sounds great! Maybe Epic can use this moment to lead by example and announce they'll be giving 85% of IAP to the creators of all those emotes? https://twitter.com/... https://t…
Look, I don't think Apple handled this well but this is so slimy. They clearly planned this whole thing for attention and money. Yuck https://twitter.com/...
Social marketing works, but @epicgames using a “free” hashtag for a *multibillion $$ game* in a squabble over *emote profits*, in 2020, when extra-legal assault and detainment hit crisis-levels, is just all shades of gross. Epic: Use #PayFortnite. Then donate to charity. A lot. h…
There is an aspect of the Epic battle with Apple that many observers may miss—the psychological battle of an age cohort of gamers. The evil archetype is being established and it is using Apple, a company older then most dads of the gamers as the Achilles heel. It has impact. http…
I mean, I'm not saying that Epic is coming across like a spoiled 5 year old getting “revenge” on a grown up who's told them “no” by building them into Minecraft to destroy them, but... https://www.theverge.com/...