Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney renewed his attack on the App Store, telling a conference in South Korea that “Apple must be stopped.”
Sweeney, who spoke Tuesday at the Global Conference for Mobile Application Ecosystem Fairness, accused Apple of complying with “oppressive foreign laws.” He also called for “a single store that works with all platforms.”
Epic CEO launches renewed attack on the App Store
Epic has been battling Apple’s App Store policies in court. And while it lost in its efforts to have Apple labeled as a monopoly, Epic was successful in having Apple forced to allow third-party payment systems in iOS apps.
Sweeney hasn’t held back his criticism of Apple and its controversial App Store rules since Fortnite, Epic’s most popular game, was banned by the iPhone-maker after the developer implemented a workaround that allowed players to buy content outside of the App Store.
His latest comments renew Epic’s attack on Apple and Google over the hefty fees they charge third-party developers for distributing apps on iOS and Android. He calls for big changes — as well as antitrust enforcement.
“Apple locks a billion users into one store and payment processor,” Sweeney said. “Now Apple complies with oppressive foreign laws, which surveil users and deprive them of political rights…. Apple must be stopped.”
Sweeney also accused Apple of ignoring laws passed by South Korea, which, like the one recently imposed in the United States, force Apple to allow third-party devs to integrate alternative payment systems into their apps and games.
’A single store that works with all platforms’
“What the world really needs now is a single store that works with all platforms,” Sweeney said. “Right now software ownership is fragmented between the iOS App Store, the Android Google Play marketplace, different stores on Xbox, PlayStation, and Nintendo Switch, and then Microsoft Store and the Mac App Store.”
Sweeney said Epic is working with developers and service providers to make its own marketplace, the Epic Games Store, work across “all devices and all platforms.” Although that seems like a highly unlikely goal.
Google dismissed Sweeney’s comments calling its service fees “crazy.”
“It’s how we provide Android and Google Play for free and invest in the many distribution, development, and security services that support developers and consumers in South Korea and around the world,” the company told Bloomberg.
Apple did not comment on Sweeney’s accusations.
