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Fortnite parodies Apple’s iconic ‘1984’ video and files lawsuit after App Store ban, fans say #FreeFortnite

Epic Games released an updated version of Fortnite, which circumvented the payment options in Apple’s App Store and Google Play. Subsequently, Apple removed the game from its store, beginning a feud

Apple and the popular video game Fortnite are caught in a feud. When Epic Games released an updated version of Fortnite, which circumvented the payment options in Apple’s App Store and Google Play, it wasn’t taken too kindly by Apple. It didn’t take long for Apple to remove the game from its store. Apple, which takes a standard 30 percent cut of sales from its compulsory payment system, said that Epic Games had taken the "unfortunate step of violating the App Store guidelines".

Epic Games fired back with an animated short. It was a parody of Apple’s iconic ‘1984’ commercial. "Epic Games has defied the App Store Monopoly. In retaliation, Apple is blocking Fortnite from a billion devices. Visit fn.gg/freefortnite and join the fight to stop 2020 from becoming '1984'," wrote Epic Games on Twitter.

It also filed a lawsuit against Apple in a district court in the Northern District of California. In the lawsuit, Epic Games said, “Apple has become what it once railed against: the behemoth seeking to control markets, block competition, and stifle innovation. Apple is bigger, more powerful, more entrenched, and more pernicious than the monopolists of yesteryear. At a market cap of nearly $2 trillion, Apple’s size and reach far exceeds that of any technology monopolist in history.”

The lawsuit said that this case concerned “Apple’s use of a series of anti-competitive restraints and monopolistic practices in markets for” the distribution of software applications to users of mobile computing devices like smartphones and tablets, and the processing of consumers’ payments for digital content used within iOS mobile apps. 

Epic Games contended that “Apple imposes unreasonable and unlawful restraints to completely monopolize both markets and prevent software developers from reaching the over one billion users of its mobile devices unless they go through a single store controlled by Apple, the App Store, where Apple exacts an oppressive 30 percent tax on the sale of every app. Apple also requires software developers who wish to sell digital in-app content to those consumers to use a single payment processing option offered by Apple, In-App Purchase, which likewise carries a 30 percent tax.”

On social media, many rallied under the banner of #FreeFortnite to call out Apple’s supposedly monopolistic practices, and also to show support to Epic Games and Fortnite. One Twitter user wrote, “If Fortnite beats Apple, not only would Roblox devs potentially earn more money, but the cost of Robux might go down as well. Big if they can pull this off. #FreeFortnite.”

“Kudos to Epic Games for fighting against Apple’s monopoly and control over the apps within its app store. This is not going to go well for Apple because no matter how strong and powerful Apple may be, it is absolutely wrong and behaving like a retaliatory bully. #FreeFortnite,” wrote another.

One Twitter user wrote, “Epic has got b***s doing this. Apple has been anti-competitive for years, and it's time to set them straight. Massive props to Fortnite for trying to make change. #FreeFortnite. (also that cinematic was amazing).”

But some were also somewhat critical of Epic Games. Justin Davis of IGN wrote, “I'm generally supportive of Epic Games here and think Apple disallowing other payment options is overly anti-competitive … but … The mixture here of memes/siccing gamers onto a cause + actual legal action and policy-making strikes me as pretty gross.” He added, “I would have been with Epic 100% if not for the cutesy in-game parody ad and the #FreeFortnite hashtag. This, + the extremely real lawsuit, in which they name their desire to build their own competing iOS App Store, is propagandizing young kids so they can stand to make billions.”