Tim Sweeney, CEO of Epic, says that Apple and Google have a 'totally broken vision for the future'. He vows to "keep fighting until there is an ultimate victory"

Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney's thought that he might quit his long-running dispute with Apple and Google while he is ahead was thrown out of the window this week, when Epic sued Google again and took a swing at Samsung (figuratively) for good measure. Sweeney reiterated this point yesterday at the Unreal Fest, in Seattle. He said that he will not ease up until Epic has a clear-cut win against everyone.

Epic has been fighting Apple for four years now, and it's not the first time. It also took similar action against Google. In the years that followed, Epic has seen some unexpected victories: In 2023, a jury sided with Epic against Google after finding that Google had "willfully acquired or maintained monopoly by engaging in anticompetitive behavior." Meanwhile, new regulations in Europe require Apple to allow third party marketplaces on iOS.

Epic isn't entirely satisfied with the results. Sweeney had accused Apple in August of "malicious conformity" with the EU Digital Markets Act. He claimed that Apple made it unnecessarily difficult to install the Epic Games Store on iOS devices. This week, the company filed a new lawsuit against Google, Samsung, and Samsung, essentially claiming the same thing: that they made the installation of the Epic Games Store so complicated that some users would not bother.

Sweeney, speaking at the Unreal Festival, outlined his vision of a collaborative future for online game development in which "all creators and companies can participate together as peers in the future," and criticized Apple and Google as being the biggest obstacles to making this happen.

Sweeney stated that "fair competition and the end of these monopoly rent-collectors" are essential for a vibrant digital eco-system in the future. "Apple and Google are pursuing a broken vision of the world, which is to limit the abilities of developers, to impose more restrictions, to prevent things such as the metaverse, or to tax the system to the point that they extract all the profits from it," Sweeney said.

"We are at a stage where game development is expensive and has a low profit margin. Game companies are suffering." Apple and Google make more money from games than developers do, while giving nothing back. "This has to change."

Sweeney said he grew up with Apple as an open platform. He described it as the "Steve Wozniak Vision for Apple, and not the modern bleak Apple vision"--that allowed anyone to create things and share them around the world without "permission" required from corporations. I don't think he would want to go back to the days when knowing BASIC was a prerequisite to using a computer. At least, I hope he doesn't. But it "highlights open platforms are more enjoyable," he said. It also encourages more innovation and enthusiasm among users and developers.

His steadfast determination to eliminate "gatekeepers", and end "junk" fees on digital storefronts, is a testament to his perseverance. Sweeney praised Epic's "massive victories" against Google, and the passage of Digital Markets Act within the EU. While this regulation does not apply outside Europe, "relief will be on the way."

"The UK and Japan passed new laws, and there are major legislations in many developing countries around the world. Sweeney stated that the world was changing for the better. "There's still a lot to do, but we're going keep fighting until the end."

Sweeney's vision is ambitious, but he seems to believe in it: In the same speech, he said that the games industry was undergoing a “generational change” that's blending online social experiences with gaming in unprecedented ways. It's true that many people (including myself) are not sold on the concept of the metaverse. Or at least, they don't agree with what it means. So, a certain amount is allowed of eye-rolling. Fraser Brown, the editor of PC Gamer's online magazine and a rabid contrarian, rejects this notion outright. I wouldn't bet against Sweeney yet, given the massive success of Fortnite which reached a record 110,000,000 monthly active users during the last holiday season and Epic's relentless, slow battle against Apple and Google.