News Epic Games Store

Wok

Wok
Oct 30, 2018
4,923
13,188
113
France

Damn that's a good freebie
For once, devs went all in with the features: rich presence in the friends' list, cheevos, cross play, exclusive items, etc.


 
  • Like
Reactions: AHA-Lambda

Joe Spangle

Playing....
Apr 17, 2019
2,417
8,223
113
I'm not sure. Sweeney hates Steam with passion and has spent over half a billion dollars in an effort to push them out of business. By releasing Epic published games on Steam, he also would lose his last bit of credibility about his fight against Valves 30 percent cut.

I don't see it happening, especially if these games sell a few 100k on EGS.
Sweeney is also a massive hypocrite and so who knows what they'll do with exclusives. If they sell like shit on eggs i bet they will start showing up on other stores after a year or two. Maybe only GOG and the like but the man does love money so maybe Steam.
 

meschio94

Junior Member
Aug 21, 2021
63
191
33
Sweeney is also a massive hypocrite and so who knows what they'll do with exclusives. If they sell like shit on eggs i bet they will start showing up on other stores after a year or two. Maybe only GOG and the like but the man does love money so maybe Steam.
I doubt we will see the games epic published on steam in 2 years, maybe in future when epic will drop the ball about egs as steam competitor, and will reconvert for it's games only, like uplay/origin/rockstar/battle.net, they will release it's games on steam to recoup some money
 

Wok

Wok
Oct 30, 2018
4,923
13,188
113
France
Houseparty, the social video app that launched in 2016 and soared in popularity during the pandemic, will be shutting down in October, the company announced Thursday. In a release, Houseparty said it will be absorbed into Epic Games to work on “creating new ways to have meaningful and authentic social interactions at metaverse scale across the Epic Games family.” The “Fortnite” developer acquired Houseparty in 2019 for a reported $35 million, according to Business Insider.

“Since joining Epic, the Houseparty team’s social vision and core technology have already contributed to new features used by hundreds of millions of people in ‘Fortnite’ and by developers around the world,” Houseparty stated. “As a result, we can’t give the app or our community the attention that it deserves.”

The app will continue to function until October, when it will be removed from app stores. Users will be notified of the shutdown via in-app notifications.
Last year, Houseparty was integrated into the gameplay experience of Epic’s flagship battle royale title, “Fortnite,” by allowing users to engage in video chats while playing. Earlier this year, Epic Games raised $1 billion in a round of funding to support its vision of building the metaverse, largely defined as the next iteration of the Internet that would focus on social interaction and interconnecting online properties and the real world.

Houseparty’s shutdown comes as the wider technology industry, particularly Mark Zuckerberg and Facebook, begins to loudly state intentions to start building a metaverse-like infrastructure. Facebook’s promotional push has revolved around its acquisition of Oculus, which produces virtual reality headsets. Epic Games, meanwhile, has centered “Fortnite” in its vision for the metaverse.
Houseparty was co-founded in 2016 by its current CEO Sima Sistani along with Ben Rubin, the then-CEO of Life On Air Inc., which started the live-streaming app Meerkat. Following Meerkat, Houseparty was created as an effort to move social media away from public broadcasts. Sistani led the deal that resulted in the Epic Games acquisition. The app was founded to become a visualized, face-to-face social network to mimic the feeling of dropping by a friend’s home or dormitory room. Sistani will continue to lead social play and feature development across Epic Games, the company said.

As people in the United States began adopting self-isolation measures due to the covid-19 pandemic in March 2020, Houseparty became a popular way to hang out for users stuck inside. Houseparty saw more than 17 million downloads that month, according to Sensor Tower, and won the Webby Award for “Breakout of the Year” later in 2020.
 

C-Dub

Makoto Niijima Fan Club President
Dec 23, 2018
3,992
11,886
113
Houseparty should be a case study in how to fuck up a video chat app in the middle of a global pandemic where most people didn't leave their homes.

I am astounded that Zoom managed to so comprehensively eat their lunch in a matter of weeks.
 
  • Like
Reactions: ExistentialThought

Mor

Me llamo Willy y no hice la mili, pero vendo Chili
Sep 7, 2018
7,028
25,776
113

C-Dub

Makoto Niijima Fan Club President
Dec 23, 2018
3,992
11,886
113
£25 for an 11 year old cheap remaster? So much for keeping prices down, Epic.

I’m sure they will be the trailblazers on charging £70 for AAA games on PC.
 
  • Toucan
Reactions: Ge0force

Arc

MetaMember
Sep 19, 2020
2,644
10,035
113

£25 for an 11 year old cheap remaster? So much for keeping prices down, Epic.

I’m sure they will be the trailblazers on charging £70 for AAA games on PC.

Any day now. :face-with-open-mouth-and-cold-sweat:

Edit: Tiny Tina's Wonderlands is a timed exclusive, but for less than a year.

Q: Which PC storefronts will have Tiny Tina's Wonderlands?


A:
Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands launches on March 25, 2022 on PC via the Epic Games Store exclusively at launch, and on other PC digital storefronts later in 2022.
 
Last edited:
Dec 5, 2018
1,544
3,873
113
That isn't as impressive as I'd have hoped? Maybe I'm alone in that
The faq mentions that the pc version is basically the same, and for a small scale project any thing more than that would have been too much work (they're basically reselling you the same game with minimal improvements).
 

Arc

MetaMember
Sep 19, 2020
2,644
10,035
113
Apple already said no.

Seems to be bit early since law isn't in effect yet.

I also have "solution" for Apple they can use:

- Allow third party, but require companies to pay equivalent of 30% to license Apple's IP (trademarks, libraries, etc.) :p
I watched a Hoeg Law video where he suggested Apple might wind up doing something like that. Tim Cook pretty much said that would happen too. Basically the only way Epic gets out of paying Apple is if they get a total victory and can get alternate stores on iOS.
 

Li Kao

It’s a strange world. Let’s keep it that way.
Jan 28, 2019
7,704
15,601
113
So what ? Apple can't forbid a publisher to have a link to its own site and payment method ?
 

gabbo

MetaMember
Dec 22, 2018
3,506
5,542
113
Toronto
  • Evil
Reactions: Alexandros

EdwardTivrusky

Good Morning, Weather Hackers!
Dec 8, 2018
7,276
12,381
113
I imagine that Apple will want it made clear that you are going to a non-Apple Store so they do not have responsibility for your experience outside the ecosystem.
 

EdwardTivrusky

Good Morning, Weather Hackers!
Dec 8, 2018
7,276
12,381
113
Well, a lot fo the responses there answer my question "We don't care, Tim. Just let us play Fortnite." lol.
 

Alexandros

Every game should be turn based
Nov 4, 2018
2,669
11,485
113
The verdict is exactly as expected. I listened to a big part of the proceedings and as we discussed back then, the judge did not buy into Epic' argument but she did have a clear issue with the anti-steering policies. It's much more of a loss for Epic than it is for Apple because almost all of its arguments were shot down. As I said from the beginning, I believe Epic should focus on passing legislation and not fighting in court.
 

ExistentialThought

Coffee Lover ♥☕
Feb 29, 2020
1,560
4,834
113
It is bizarre to see the number of folks saying Epic won while not understanding anything of the actual ruling. To be fair, there are still a TON of aspects I do not understand, but I would never act otherwise. It is hard see how the ruling is anything other than a small lost for Apple while Epic has largely failed to obtain most of their asks. From what I know from my job (I am not a lawyer though!!!), to have this verdict in California, where these laws are some of the strongest consumer protection and anti-competitive/anti-monopoly laws in the United States. It does not bode well for trying this case anywhere else in the US courts. Of course, they can and will appeal, but how many more years will this play out for still a shaky case. The case against Google still seems stronger especially since Google was trying to interject itself in between OEMs and Epic, but time will tell how that shapes out.


Side note:
I really want to go on a long rant about the "metaverse" idea catching on with a lot of tech companies, most notably Facebook and Epic, but most of my thoughts are pretty speculative. So I will keep it short, but I think these companies are betting the metaverse will be the next approach of making globs of money while sidestepping the increased legal pressure companies like Google and Apple are facing from their more traditional approach (to be fair, a lot of the traditional approach was written by Google and Apple themselves).
 

C-Dub

Makoto Niijima Fan Club President
Dec 23, 2018
3,992
11,886
113
It would be very simple to know if Epic won. Is this payment process allowed in the "app"? If yes, Epic won. Otherwise, Epic lost.

Bu-bu-but it's the first domino! The FIRST DOMINO!
 
Dec 5, 2018
1,544
3,873
113
And in the end it doesn't matter if they can put a link, since Apple is entitled to a commission (I still think that devs should be allowed to inform you, even if that only would benefit the big guys).
 
  • Like
Reactions: Alexandros

Li Kao

It’s a strange world. Let’s keep it that way.
Jan 28, 2019
7,704
15,601
113
And in the end it doesn't matter if they can put a link, since Apple is entitled to a commission (I still think that devs should be allowed to inform you, even if that only would benefit the big guys).
How ? Unless I'm mistaken, there is no commission if the transaction is made on an external site.
 

Wok

Wok
Oct 30, 2018
4,923
13,188
113
France
I'm trusting HoegLaw in this one.
But i guess is no different from what epic does with the licensed version of Unreal.
It does not imply that the situation would be the same as the current one.

For the situation to be the same, the "licensing fee" would have to be:
  • based on a percentage of revenue,
  • and that percentage should be 30%.
 

Li Kao

It’s a strange world. Let’s keep it that way.
Jan 28, 2019
7,704
15,601
113
Yeah, licensing fee is whatever but I wonder what they mean in practice by the commission thing.
 

Wok

Wok
Oct 30, 2018
4,923
13,188
113
France
If you look at what Epic does with the royalties for the Unreal Engine:
  1. devs have to report revenue, so not much control in Epic's hands,
  2. it is only applied to products after 1 million USD of gross revenue,
  3. the percentage is 5% of the amount over the million USD.
If Apple were going on the same path, the first point alone would make the situation less convenient for them.

Then they would have to convince companies that they deserve to take a cut of 30% of the external gross revenue, which is not a super obvious decision for the 20% products which account for 80% of Apple's income. Fornite would not be back. Apps like Netflix would not be back for IAP, so I don't see them coming back for a percentage of their external gross revenue.

Currently, the Netflix and Spotify apps on iOS are useless if you don’t already have a subscription: both of them only offer a sign-in page, with no link out to their website, and a cheeky apology. “You can’t sign up for Netflix in the app. We know it’s a hassle,” reads the Netflix app’s splash page. The Amazon Kindle app, by contrast, offers a basic “Create a new Amazon account” page inside the app itself, but doesn’t let you buy books there, or even in the standard Amazon app. You have to go to a mobile browser to purchase.


Apple is not in a position to do whatever they want with the biggest actors. They own the platform, so they have the power in theory. However, this power is only exerted on companies which accept their terms of service in the first hand. If the big apps are on the app store but avoid IAP, much of the convenience brought by the store is lost. That is what Neflix did. If the big apps are missing from the app store, much of the added value brought by the store is lost. That is Epic.

 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: Phoenix RISING

madjoki

👀 I see you
Sep 19, 2018
3,009
11,158
113
Court ruled Epic still owed the 30% on external payments. So it means Apple has (not-so-good) argument for taking 30% in future too, since judge seems to think it's too big.

Epic asked court to rule Apple taking any cut is illegal. She didn't rule 30% was too much, because that's not what Epic asked for.
So Epic asked for too much. Maybe someone else will try to sue, asking for smaller cut instead?
 
  • Like
Reactions: Alexandros

Wok

Wok
Oct 30, 2018
4,923
13,188
113
France
Court ruled Epic still owed the 30% on external payments.
I think it is only for IAP which breached the terms of service.



Point (i) makes it clear, and I am not sure what point (ii) amounts for, but I guess it is $0 since the app was removed. Or could it be in case there exist iOS users who would have managed to spend money in the old version of the app without updating it?




Seriously:
  • the day Apple asks for a fixed or tiered licensing fee, even 1 million USD for the top tier, Epic will be immediately on board.
  • the day Apple asks for 30% of external gross revenue as a variable commission fee, the Netflix app will be totally removed from the app store.
 
Last edited:

Ascheroth

Chilling in the Megastructure
Nov 12, 2018
5,119
11,978
113
I think it is only for IAP which breached the terms of service.



Point (i) makes it clear, and I am not sure what point (ii) amounts for, but I guess it is $0 since the app was removed. Or could it be in case there exist iOS users who would have managed to spend money in the old version of the app without updating it?
No, Apple is entitled to some manner of compensation for letting Apps on the store in general, and currently that is 30%.

Relevant images without the tweet;




However the judge does not really look favorably on the 30% itself, so there might be further lawsuits in the future to decrease it, but removing it entirely like Epic wants is a pipedream.

 
  • Like
Reactions: Alexandros