Podcast | Episode 02
Apple battles Epic Games, Fortnite and the DMA | Week in Mobile Games podcast
The PocketGamer.biz podcast team give you the state of play every week. Here's where to get it and and what's inside this week's episode 02…
Company Profile
Epic Games
Website
epicgames.com
About
Founded in 1991, Epic Games is an American company founded by CEO Tim Sweeney. The company is headquartered in Cary, North Carolina and has more than 40 offices worldwide. Today Epic is a leading interactive entertainment company and provider of 3D engine technology. Epic operates Fortnite, one of the world’s largest games with over 350 million accounts and 2.5 billion friend connections.
Epic also develops Unreal Engine, which powers the world’s leading games and is also adopted across industries such as film and television, architecture, automotive, manufacturing, and simulation. Through Unreal Engine, Epic Games Store, and Epic Online Services, Epic provides an end-to-end digital ecosystem for developers and creators to build, distribute, and operate games and other content.
Related People
Joseph Azzam
Technical Evangelist
Tim Sweeney
Founder
Alan Noon
Lead Evangelist, Americas
Arran Langmead
Developer Relations Technical Artist
Sarah Thomson
BD & Account Management Director, EGS Mobile
Sjoerd De Jong
Unreal Engine Evangelist
Marc Petit
VP, Unreal Engine Ecosystem
+4 more
Accolades
Articles featuring Epic Games
Groundhog Day
Apple reinstates Epic Games’ App Store developer account as EU’s Digital Markets Act bites
He's having the worst day of his life... over, and over again.
There Is Only War
EU regulators go gunning for Apple following their latest Epic spat
Game on… Apple may have side-stepped the DMA but their latest toddler feud with Epic has roused the EU's sleeping legal giant once more
This Means War
Apple just revoked Epic's iOS developer account. Again
Despite the EU Digital Markets Act bringing their battle to a close, it looks like the Epic Games Store won't be coming to iOS any time soon…
Mobile Mavens
Mobile Mavens: What should we expect from Disney's big $1.5 billion deal with Epic and Fortnite?
Our Mobile Mavens share their thoughts on Disney’s $1.5 billion investment and partnership with Epic Games
Hot Five
Hot Five: Microsoft goes multiplat, Fortnite to return to iOS, but global games industry layoffs continue
Our quick-fix roundup of the hottest stories on PocketGamer.biz
Apple Vs Europe
Fortnite and Epic Games are coming back to iOS in Europe
Hell has frozen over and the Fortnite developer and publisher is coming back to iOS three years after being frozen out
Week That Was
Week in Views - Elden Ring goes mobile, Apple gets artificially intelligent, and Fortnite goes Disney
The Pocketgamer.biz team pick their highlights from the headlines this week and deliver the stories behind the stories
Epic Deal
Disney invests $1.5 billion into Epic Games as it plots new "entertainment universe" with Fortnite
The Walt Disney Company CEO Robert Iger labels partnership the company's “biggest entry ever into the world of games”
Week That Was
Week in Views - Apple gives and takes while Nintendo quietly makes a billion
The Pocketgamer.biz team pick their highlights from the headlines this week and deliver the stories behind the stories
An Epic Comeback
Fortnite and the Epic Games Store are coming to iOS devices this year
The battle royale game will only be available in parts of Europe covered by the Digital Markets Act
Runtime Reloaded
Apple rolls out Unity-like Runtime Fee for downloads as it seeks to outrun new EU regulations
Apple lowers share to 17% in EU while adding a €0.50 download fee
Business As Usual
Despite new regulations Apple will still be able to charge 27% on external platform payments
While following new regulations to the letter, new changes to the Apple App Store Guidelines ensure that they'll get paid no matter what
Today's Apple Upset
Apple fail to dodge sweeping app store changes as the law closes in
The latest suit from Epic may have failed, but the changes previously demanded of the iPhone giant remain in place and will have huge implications
Best Of 2023
2023's Greatest Hits: Relive 2023's highs and lows with our 10 biggest stories of the year
Of all the shocks, surprises, bold claims, battles and bruisings that rocked the mobile games business through 2023 these are our top 10 stories that hit the hardest…
Epic Response
Epic Games blasts Google's settlement with US states as "no true relief for consumers or developers"
Epic Games has released a settlement following the reveal of Google’s $700 million settlement
Week That Was
Week in Views - What caught our eyes in the last seven days
The Pocketgamer.biz team take their pick of this weeks big news, including an Epic victory, Netflix' new hotness, a major monster and a death in the family…
Sweeney's Success
"The end of these ridiculous 30% fees is near." Tim Sweeney crows victory in Epic Vs Google battle
Epic Games’ Tim Sweeney has been taking to social media and more to celebrate his win over Google
Guilty Google
An Epic victory: Google found guilty of illegal monopoly in Epic lawsuit
The Epic vs Google case has reached a verdict with a unanimous jury vote finding in favour of CEO Tim Sweeney's anti-App Store crusade
Hot Five
Hot Five: Activision Blizzard’s app store alternative, Google Play’s download dominance and a 3D Candy Crush
Our quick-fix roundup of the hottest stories on PocketGamer.biz
Activision App Store
Activision Blizzard, Epic Games and Supercell considered forming a Google Play competitor
The Epic vs Google case reveals past plans for an app store alliance
Pay To Play
Fortnite’s $147million ‘bribe’ only highlights Google Play’s ongoing payola problem
Google offered big money to keep Fortnite on Play. Now what’s to stop everyone else from holding the Play Store to ransom?
Epic Vs Google
Game on: The Epic vs Google antitrust trial is officially underway
Epic is taking on Google regarding it's ongoing quest against the big mobile gatekeeper's App Store fees and monopolies
Alternative App Stores
Fortnite comes to the Oppo App Market alternative app store in Southeast Asia
The legal battle between Epic and Apple have heightened visibility of Apple’s scrupulous fees on their platform
Spending And Selling
Epic Games delivers another 120 "fucked up" layoffs with Bandcamp sale
After 800 layoffs last month, Epic offloading Bandcamp has only led to further redundancies
Hot Five
Hot Five: Niantic has a new star, Epic warns of "degradation in quality", and new games hit the market
Our quick-fix roundup of the hottest stories on PocketGamer.biz
Job Cuts
Epic Games lays off 800+ staff: CEO Tim Sweeney expects "degradation in quality"
Speaking at Unreal Fest, Sweeney acknowledged the layoffs and discussed the company’s next course
Hot Five
Hot Five: Candy Crush makes $20 billion, Epic lays off 800 staff, and Omada tackles gambling addiction
Our quick-fix round up of the hottest stories on PocketGamer.biz
Feature
Mass games industry job losses in 2023, but is the end in sight?
Not counting the losses at Alphabet, these collective layoffs surpass 3000 jobs
Layoffs
Epic and Sega announce 900 more games industry lay-offs
A brutal end to another tough quarter for games jobs, with the UK hit especially hard
Court Case
Epic Games appeals to US Supreme Court in Apple antitrust case
The years-long case continues with arguments over pro- and anticompetitiveness
App Stores
Epic Game Store to offer developers 100% of revenue
How long before one of the new wave of alternative mobile app stores follows suit?
Apple Vs Epic
The US Supreme Court sides with Apple in its ongoing battle with Epic
The court has decided to block a federal injunction that would have forced Apple to change its payment practices
Jobs News
August's Mobile Movers and Shakers: Damian Burns leaves Twitch plus new hires for Epic Games, FunPlus, Newzoo and more
August has already seen some significant moves by some of the industry's biggest company's - here's the highlights from the last week
Apple V Epic
Epic Games appeals to the US Supreme Court in latest Apple legal clash
The move follows Apple’s own appeal filing earlier this month as Epic seek to make a 2021 ruling stick
Apple Vs Epic
Apple and Epic ask US court to reconsider the ruling in their dispute
The ongoing battle between the companies takes yet another turn
Week That Was
Week in Views - What caught our eyes in the last seven days
The Pocketgamer.biz team take their pick of this weeks big news and discuss a fragmented Apple eco-system, games going all-in on AI and Fortnite's return to iOS… Kinda
Cloud Gaming
Fortnite is back on iOS
The title will be available on multiple devices, including iPhones and iPads via Amazon Luna
New Partnership
SuperAwesome and Yoti announce new partnership
The duo are integrating their services to help keep young gamers safe
An Epic Battle
Apple emerges victorious in antitrust appeal against Epic Games
But the ruling also opens the door for developers to include links in apps and side-step App Store fees
Week That Was
Week in Views - What caught our eyes in the last seven days
The Pocketgamer.biz team take their pick of this weeks big news and discuss the big Rovio buyout, big-ups and back-slapping and Epic moves…
Acquisition
Aquiris to become Epic Games Brasil
The studio had an existing publishing deal with Epic for their mobile title Horizon Chase
Unreal Graphics
Epic unveils Unreal Engine 5.2 delivering even more power to mobile
New cross-platform Unreal upgrades give developers the tools to create improved worlds and characters, whatever the host device
Epic News
Epic launches Unreal Editor for Fortnite, delivering metaverse-building power to everyone
Their GDC 2023 announcement comes packed with new tech set to give the world of mobile creation a shake-up
Alternative App Stores
Epic has apps for iOS and Android ready to go
The Epic Games Store may see an appearance on mobile sooner than we think if Tim Sweeney’s predictions come true
Live And Kicking
Is it game over for Live Ops games?
We've seen some huge live games get the plug pulled, but are reports of their demise exaggerated? And what makes a LiveOps game fail? Oscar Clark of Fundamentally Games explains
A Heavyweight Event
Fortnite aims for a knockout with its Creed crossover
The Creed Quests event is the latest in a series of tie-ins for the hit game
Porting
Stumble Guys Vs Fall Guys - Why speed is essential in capitalising on mobile
With Fall Guys clone Stumble Guys reaching the upper echelons of the download charts, it looks like a huge case of missed opportunity for the original developers
App Stores
Is Tim Sweeney hinting at the return of Fortnite to iOS?
A cryptic tweet from Epic CEO, Tim Sweeney, may hint at the return of the battle-royale game Fortnite to iOS
2022 Highlights
2022 In Review – December’s Best Bits
As the year draws to a close, we take a look back with our pick of the stories that shaped the last twelve months. Time for December