A few days ago, some media published an article about Epic Tim Sweeney’s recent trip to the Eastern Hemisphere. During the period, he praised South Korea’s new law, which will force mobile platforms to open up payment options in their app stores to competitors.
Sweeney threw a fierce grenade at Apple-a monopolist that he believes must be blocked-and Alphabet’s Google, saying that their charging for in-app purchases is not good for consumers and developers. In addition, he also talked about metaspace like Fortnite, thinking that this is an opportunity worth billions of dollars.
But perhaps the most noticeable among them is the establishment of a single app store, which will make buying a game on one platform result in having it on all platforms. Currently, people can buy a multi-platform game multiple times, like the latest Call of Duty or Grand Theft Auto: one on the PC, one on the Xbox, and one on the PlayStation.
Nintendo has more or less released the same retro games on several of its consoles, which has effectively increased the income from its most ardent fans. However, the value of the purchase lies in the license to play the game, not the transmission medium. So, for consumers, why does it spend money to buy a few licenses to do the same thing?
The short answer is it is very profitable, and no one prevents the industry from doing it. In the age of gaps in the delivery of game boxes and CDs, each copy has a cost, so an argument can be made for each payment. But now, every game system has a digital purchase option, and many games have cross-platform accounts, which can be used to track player progress and achievements, so there is no reason to continue this ancient practice.
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Sweeney told media sources in Seoul: What the world really needs now is a single store for all platforms. Epic is working with developers and service providers to create a system and let users buy software in one place. Knowing that they will have it on all devices and all platforms.
Along with Id Software’s co-founder John Carmack and Valve’s Gabe Newell, Sweeney is one of the most influential figures who have helped shape the video game industry today. Epic’s Unreal Engine not only powers the global sensation of Fortnite but also powers classic works such as Gears of War and BioShock. The Sony Group invested in the company as part of a close collaboration around the use of its game production software on the PS5. Simply put, he is very influential and has shown the courage to bring Apple and Google’s platform fees to the court.
Of course, Sweeney’s thinking about a one-stop game store is self-interested. Epic does not have a large console or app store platform to defend the digital wall, so he would love to see them removed. The less friction between the player and the game, the more opportunities for companies like Epic to monetize the gaming experience.
The free game of Fortnite is for this reason. Its purpose is to allow more people to enter the game and then take advantage of their presence through in-game purchases, just like Valve’s Dota 2 and Riot Games Inc.’s League of Legends.
Most mobile gaming departments already operate on the so-called free experience, making money by selling in-game benefits, cosmetics and subscriptions. In fact, the broader trend is to use free games and distribute them everywhere.