‘Either you die a hero, or you live long enough to see yourself as a villain.’ Whether it was Plato or Harvey Dent who said that doesn’t matter much today. The real problem is that Tim Sweeney, the chief executive in charge of Unreal Engine, Fortnite, and the entire Epic portfolio, is deep in the dark side of his story.
Sweeney oversaw the transformation of Fortnite from the poor man’s PUBG to one of the most popular games in the world, but most of his street characters today are due to the company’s ongoing battle against Apple and Google that portrays him as a modern-day Robin Hood.
Well, six years on, and it seems Sweeney has felt the need to remind us that our alliance was as simplistic, and as corrupt as any other big game boss.
Epic’s original strategy for trying to make Apple foot the bill has now shifted to a timeless classic: making you pay more for the same.
From Epic vs. The World to Epic vs. You
The origin of Epic’s struggles against Apple and Google coincides with the independence of America from the United Kingdom, or the conflict of the Trade Federation against the Galactic Republic.
Sweeney has consistently argued that the digital store’s 30% upfront share of in-app purchases was abusive, especially when compared to the Epic Games Store’s own 12%. The battle will eventually escalate into a congressional hearing and major lawsuits.
Most of [Sweeney’s] street cred today is due to the corporate battle that is raging against Apple and Google
Although Epic did not get clear wins in court, the noise it created was enough that many legislators outside the United States were able to join Tim Sweeney’s complaints, which forced Apple and Google to allow third-party stores to work on their applications.
Fortnite Is Finally Coming Back To IOS After A Torrential 5-Year Legal Battle
Finally, after years of waiting and a long, hard legal battle, Epic Games’ Fortnite has finally returned to iOS platforms.
Disappointingly, however, the same man who criticized digital stores for taking most of their money without providing any added value is now trying to justify doing the same to Fortnite players.
Earlier this week, Epic updated the price table for V-Bucks packages in Fortnite. Here’s how things go:
|
Package Price |
Original V-Bucks |
New V-Bucks |
Loss of Value |
|---|---|---|---|
|
$8.99 |
1000 |
800 |
20% |
|
$22.99 |
2800 |
2400 |
14.3% |
|
$36.99 |
5000 |
4500 |
10% |
|
$89.99 |
13500 |
12500 |
7.4% |
The situation is even worse for users who want to buy the exact amount. Previously, 50 V-Bucks would set you back around $0.50. Epic raised it to $0.99.
Sweeny has remained relatively quiet since the announcement, but Epic’s senior director of ecosystem growth, Andre Balta, challenged the increase to “the operational cost of doing business”.
When you consider that the company generated a little more than 6 billion dollars by 2025, its best performance ever, it is difficult to paint this digital decline as anything other than corporate greed. And just like that, Tim Sweeney, once an unlikely hero, becomes a villain.
Fortnite AI-Voiced Vader Curses And Drops EF Bombs
The Force never prepared us for Vader’s “Skibidi Toilet”.
- Released
-
September 26, 2017
- The ESRB
-
IT For Teens – Various Content: Insights Advised, In-Game Purchases, Users Interacting
