The new, elected President of the USA is controversial. Tim Sweeney, boss and founder of Epic Games, is now criticizing big tech companies for their support. Because that is just economic calculation. Rather, they are trying to enrich themselves and would therefore harm the players in the long term.
What does Sweeney say? Sweeney writes that the big tech companies are currently all on the side of the Republicans, including Trump, in the USA. And they would only do that to make themselves popular there. He describes the approach as a “shabby monopoly campaign” and warns that it could harm consumers in particular. This is how he explains on X.com/Twitter:
After years of pretending to be Democrats, Big Tech leaders are now posing as Republicans in hopes of ingratiating themselves with the new administration. Beware of the sleazy monopoly campaign to denigrate competition law while ripping off consumers and destroying competitors.
Sweeney and Epic have been feuding with Google and Apple for years
What’s Sweeney’s problem? Sweeney and his company Epic Games have been in dispute with competition watchdogs in the USA for a long time, especially with Apple and Google.
Epic wants to sell games, especially its long-running favorite Fortnite, on iPhones and Android devices without using the official app stores. Because there Epic would have to transfer high fees for in-game purchases to the store. Epic has long criticized the high fees.
When Epic moved to selling Fortnite Bucks (in-game currency) externally to avoid paying fees, Google and Apple banned Fortnite from their stores. A dispute ensued in which Apple closed all developer accounts of Epic developers. This also affected games and developers that used Epic’s Unreal Engine. To this day, the dispute has not been completely resolved.
Sweeney could therefore also feel threatened in his own position because his big opponents want to gain a better position here. Sweeney warns that his declared opponents want to rip off consumers, but Epic is also likely to be interested in financial gains.
How is it with us? In the EU there is the Digital Markets Act (DMA), which has the advantage that large manufacturers such as Apple or Google also have to offer alternative app installation options.
For this reason, you can reinstall the Epic Store and Fortnite in Germany on your iPhone or Android phone. This Digital Markets Act does not exist in the USA.
If you want to reinstall Fortnite or other Epic games on your cell phone, then take a look at our guide on MeinMMO. Here we explain step by step how you can get the popular shooter back on your iPhone: Fortnite on Apple: This is how you install the battle royale shooter on your iOS device