Epic Games vs. Apple: A Case for Progressive Web Apps?
With the battle raging on between the two giants and with a court hearing set in 2021, Progressive Web Apps could become even more “popular” on mobile
Google. Apple. Microsoft. Facebook.
Long ago, the four nations lived together in harmony. Then everything changed when Epic Games attacked…”
Wait a minute… That’s not how it…
Well for the past few months, Epic Games and Apple have been fighting, screaming in the courts like a couple going through a messy divorce trying their level best to gain custody of their child. Lots and lots of child… I mean… money.
It certainly has been a rollercoaster of a ride and it all started over the circumvention of Apple’s 30% transaction fee on the Apple App Store.
Epic vs. Apple — Kick-off
It all started on a fine August 13th when Epic Games introduced an update to Fortnite on iOS and Android devices. What was special about this update was that it contained a server-side hotfix that gave the players of Fortnite an option to purchase V-Bucks directly from Epic Games, instead of going through the billing systems of App Store and the Google Play Store on iOS and Android devices respectively.
Both Apple and Google charge a 30% transaction fee on specific items that are sold through its stores. The hotfix in turn reduced the price of V-Bucks on mobile devices because Epic Games now didn’t have to pay the fee essentially circumventing Apple and Google’s cut.
Retaliation
Within hours of the hotfix going live, Apple promptly removed Fortnite off the App Store and shortly after, Google followed thorough by kicking it off the Play Store marking the end of the Fortnite Mobile.
Both Apple and Google charge a 30% transaction fee on specific items that are sold through its respective app stores
Nineteen Eighty-Fortnite
Within moments of retaliatory action taken against them, Epic Games started their crusade against Apple with a parody of the famous Apple’s ‘1984’ ad trying to highlight how the company that stood against the oppressive PC giant IBM then has now become the oppressive giant today.
Epic Games also sued Apple stating that they would love to launch their own Epic Game Store for iOS separate from the Apple App Store which they hoped would also open up similar options for other developers in the future.
Progressive Web Apps
Google calls Progressive Web Apps or PWAs as “websites that took all the right vitamins”. Progressive Web Apps take a unique approach that lies between mobile websites and native apps.
They are web sites built with modern JavaScript frameworks, designed to work like a native app offering things like:
1. Push Notifications
2. Home Screen Icons
3. Platform Independence
4. Geo Location
5. Offline Mode
6. Background Synchronization
7. Accessing Mobile Features like Camera and GPS
PWAs aren’t magically supposed to replace Native apps but rather be a middle ground between a website and an app. To make the case for PWAs in the Epic vs. Apple fight, you need to carefully look at Point 3. You might be starting to figure out where this is heading towards. What separates PWAs from Mobile apps are that you don’t need to install an app store, any app store in order to get a good app experience.
All you need to do is to add the PWA onto your phone’s home screen and you are good to go and that effectively kills the app store model of both Apple and Google (especially Apple).
In fact, there is already a company out there that is using the power of the Progressive Web App in order to evade the Apple App Store tax and controversial Cloud Streaming guidelines and that company is Amazon.
Amazon Luna
As weird as 2020 already was, it only got weirder when Amazon decided to make a foray into the Cloud Streaming business with its Luna service.
It even launched on iOS where current market incumbents like Microsoft and Google were facing difficulties due to Apple’s guidelines regarding Cloud Streaming.
Amazon used a simple way to evade Apple’s rules. It did not release a traditional app that was subject to Apple’s rules on iOS but rather a Progressive Web App with even an icon making it indistinguishable from a native app and Apple knows it all too well.
Their own guidelines state it clearly (I have highlighted the crucial part):
4.9 Streaming games
Streaming games are permitted so long as they adhere to all guidelines — for example, each game update must be submitted for review, developers must provide appropriate metadata for search, games must use in-app purchase to unlock features or functionality, etc. Of course, there is always the open Internet and web browser apps to reach all users outside of the App Store.
If Amazon can employ a tactic that Apple knows about and yet won’t do anything to stop them, so can other companies. This means that Epic Games and in fact, every single developer who wouldn’t like to be beholden to Apple’s rules could opt for PWA that is available on the App Store and offer microtransactions or subscriptions or anything without Apple or Google taking a piece of the pie and with the recent rumours suggesting that Fortnite could make a comeback on iOS via NVIDIA’s GeForce Now streaming service (which also might adopt the Luna strategy) it potentially paves the way for massive PWA adoption by the likes of Netflix, Microsoft and even Spotify who can now skirt Apple’s “anti-competitive” tax.
We are looking at a paradigm shift taking place in the Mobile App Store industry ever since the introduction of the App Store on iOS on 2008. From the yesteryear big box stores charging 70–80% on software disk retail space to Nintendo and Atari feud over cartridge licensing fee cementing the 30% cut of today employed by nearly all digital platforms (except GOG, Humble and of course Epic), only time will tell whether its here to stay or whether the industry cut will transform once again.
