Epic Games has given up its fight against the large cut taken by Google for publishing games on the Play Store.
In a statement, Epic explained their decision:
“Google puts software downloadable outside of Google Play at a disadvantage, through technical and business measures such as scary, repetitive security pop-ups for downloaded and updated software, restrictive manufacturer and carrier agreements and dealings, Google public relations characterizing third party software sources as malware, and new efforts such as Google Play Protect to outright block software obtained outside the Google Play store.”
The main reason, we all know, is because Google takes a 30 percent cut from Play Store sales. This isn’t unusual, Apple and Steam both take the same cut for their respective stores.
“We hope that Google will revise its policies and business dealings in the near future, so that all developers are free to reach and engage in commerce with customers on Android and in the Play Store through open services, including payment services, that can compete on a level playing field,” the company said.
Unlike on iOS, Epic Games had the option to distribute their games for Android and PC using other methods.
Epic Games decided to distribute their hit game Fortnite on PC using their own Epic Store which only takes a 12 percent cut from third-party developers. On Android, they persuaded gamers to sideload the game.
The sideloading method posed many issues. Foremost, hundreds of Fortnite clones – many infected with malware – sprung up to take advantage. The process was also too cumbersome for gamers who are used to just opening the Play Store and getting the game they want.
Epic Games has now officially released Fortnite on the Play Store and given up what was an admirable fight to persuade stores to take a fairer cut of revenue.
