Epic Games is Trolling Apple

The day seems to get twisted every second. First, Epic Games decided to implement a new payment gateway in Fortnite, for both IOS and Android. This was followed by Apple removing Fortnite from its App Store, which was a surprising move. And now, Epic has taken things further by filing a lawsuit against the trillion-dollar company.

Epic Games hit back at Apple

Epic on Twitter shared the news along with a 65-page attachment. The entire lawsuit has many matters mentioned, however, from what we noticed, it seems as if Epic is poking Apple through this.

The first major point in the lawsuit talks about Apple’s history and mentions the company’s Think Different 1984 ad. This was the major reason many felt that the lawsuit was a mere tackle. If you haven’t watched the ad before, you can watch it down below, courtesy of Mac History.

The particular ad can’t be called the best Apple produced. Epic even came up with their own version of the ad to troll Apple. So, Epic mentioning it in their lawsuit as well does make everyone wonder why.

Furthermore, Epic went on to recreate the ad titled under #freefortnite. Towards the end of the video, they ask the community to join the fight to stop 2020 from becoming “1984”.

Furthermore, Epic highlights how their move has defied the App Store monopoly. Epic’s implementation of direct payment was to save players money as payment through iOS or Android had a 30 percent proceeding fee. With the new direct payment, users would be receiving a permanent cut that Apple wasn’t really fond of.

Just a marketing strategy?

While Apple’s decision was unexpected, Epic has taken it rather lightly, at least from what we could gather. They further mention in their lawsuit that they expect no compensation from Apple. This goes to question why such a lawsuit in the first place. What followed was an answer that seems like a plain troll.

“Epic brings this suit to end Apple’s unfair and anti-competitive actions that Apple undertakes”

Many believe that this is a marketing parody from Epic. This could be possible given the examples and sentences they’ve stated. Now, we don’t know what further proceedings Epic or Apple could take, but Matthew Ball isn’t on Epic’s side of things.

He notes the trolls made by Epic and how all of this is just a marketing strategy. A live event or social campaign could all be in works and this could bring all the spotlight to Epic Games and Fortnite. As per Matthew, the company has set up everything to take the matter up a notch.

The whole lawsuit seems to be a troll, and a way to get back at Apple for their actions. Epic seemingly wants no compensation, so why would they step up to be the guardians? It could be because they can’t stand the atrocity committed or, like many mentioned, could be a marketing trick.

Apple responds to Epic Games

Peter Kafka, on Twitter, shared Apple’s take on the entire matter. In what was an official statement, Apple mentions why they came to the decision to remove Fortnite from the App Store.

“Today Epic Games took the unfortunate step of violating the App Store guidelines that are applied equally to every developer and designed to keep the store safe for our users.

“Epic enabled a future in its app which was not reviewed or approved by Apple, and they did so with the express intent of violating the App Store guidelines.”

Apple also commented that Epic has been using their services for over a decade and have reaped the benefits. Rather surprisingly, they’d also look to work with Epic to resolve the issue and bring Fortnite back.

With the lawsuit stunt, Epic seems to have made a big move. Could this affect them for the worse? That is still unclear.

What are your thoughts on the entire issue? Leave your thoughts down on the comments below.