This is the goal.
Microsoft has become the latest business to show support for Epic Games in their legal battle against Apple. Microsoft’s general manager Kevin Gammill today filed a declaration in support of Epic Games. Apple has threatened to cut Epic accounts from its development tools, threatening current and future Unreal titles on the App Store from all developers. Gamill’s filing is in support for a restraining order to prevent such a decision.
Gammill’s comments mention the harm that such a decision would cause not only for Epic with losing business deals but for developers who are currently working on Unreal engine projects for iOS and may find themselves looking at prohibitively expensive costs of switching to a new engine should support for Unreal suddenly be cut out from below.
For game creators in the later stages of development utilizing Unreal Engine and targeting the iOS and/or macOS platform, Unreal Engine’s sudden loss of support for iOS and macOS would create significant costs and difficult decisions. The creator would have significant sunk costs and lost time using Unreal Engine for game creation, and would have to choose between (a) starting development all over with a new game engine, (b) abandoning the iOS and macOS platforms, or (c) ceasing development entirely.
Microsoft’s vocal support is not entirely surprising when you consider two things; that Microsoft operates games on the Unreal engine that are on the App Store, and that Microsoft is also the victim of Apple’s policies. Microsoft’s Game Pass app ceased development on iOS due to Apple’s strict policies.
It’s been ten days since Epic sprung its latest campaign into action. Those of you will recall that Epic early in the morning implemented a universal discount on V-Bucks, the virtual currency for Fortnite. At the same time they introduced direct pay options on mobile bypassing Google and Apple’s 30% cut of sales revenue. A few hours later Apple pulled Fortnite from the store, leading Epic to not only file the lawsuit that they already had ready but to deploy an already finished 30 second short.
It’s like Epic knew all of this was going to happen.
Microsoft joins a growing list of companies voicing support for Epic in its legal battle against Apple. Fortnite players can take part in a tournament running August 23 (that’s today for those of you reading this when it is published) where you can get a free skin of the Apple guy in the video above, as well as systems that Fortnite wasn’t banned on.
MMO Fallout 