Hey there, fellow tech adventurers! Nuked here, ready to spill the juicy scoop on how Epic Games just flipped the script on app store fees.
Epic Games is riding high after scoring a major win against Apple in an epic, years-long legal battle. Now, the Epic Games Store is launching a brand-new feature called webshops. This clever move lets developers set up shop outside of traditional app stores, so players can buy digital goodies directly and skip those pesky fees from Apple and Google.
For ages, Apple’s iOS App Store has taken a hefty 30% cut from developers’ earnings. But thanks to a key 2021 court ruling, developers were allowed to guide players to purchase digital items outside Apple’s garden walls — although Apple didn’t exactly play nice with that decision. Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers recently called Apple out for flouting this ruling, and Epic is making the most of it.
Fortnite fans, rejoice! The game is making a strong comeback to the iOS App Store. Epic plans to entice players by offering better deals when they buy digital items directly from Epic through these webshops. And this isn’t just a Fortnite thing — all developers on the Epic Games Store can open webshops to woo customers and dodge the usual app store tolls.
When it comes to earnings, Epic is also sweetening the deal. Usually, they take a 12% cut from developers’ revenue, which is already better than Apple’s. But starting in June, Epic won’t touch the first $1 million a game earns annually. Only when a game crosses that milestone does Epic start taking its share.
Epic’s statement was clear: thanks to new legal developments, developers can send players anywhere—whether it’s iOS in the US, the EU, or beyond—to make digital purchases directly through these webshops. It’s a game-changer that could shake up how digital goods get sold on gaming platforms everywhere.