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The Gaming Economy Daily Summary brings you the top news from the gaming industry. In Today’s Issue: Epic Files Motion To Prevent Apple From Launching Countermeasures During The Couple’s Ongoing Court Case; criticism of Apple is more evident in Japan; and India’s decision to ban PUBG causes Tencent’s market value to drop.
Epic court appeals to prevent Apple from retaliating for Fortnite case
Epic Games has filed a motion requesting that the courts intervene to bring their popular Fortnite title to the App Store. The gaming studio stated that the motion, which was filed on Friday (4th September) is an effort to “stop Apple’s retaliation against Epic for daring to challenge its illegal restrictions while advancing our antitrust case.”
The move for what is classified as a ‘preliminary injunction’ is part of an ongoing legal battle between the developer and the maker of the iPhone after Epic launched a payment system within Fortnite. The system would have seen the developer evade Apple’s mandatory 30% cut in revenue for in-app transactions, prompting the firm led by Tim Cook to intervene by removing the game from its App Store.
The latest motion follows an earlier court decision to impose a temporary restraining order against Apple, a move that prevented the American tech giant from banning Epic from accessing the Unreal Engine, the code that forms the basis for many of its games, in iOS. Now, Epic argues that the chances of it winning the antitrust case mean it should be fully restored before the lawsuit is concluded.
The motion is expected to go to court on 28th September.
Scrutiny against Apple tightens in Japan
Epic’s ongoing case against Apple is not only damaging the company’s reputation in the US, but has seen the tech giant come under increased scrutiny in one of the world’s largest gaming markets – Japan. .
In the wake of Epic’s decision to sue Apple for its treatment of mobile game developers, Japanese studios have become more vocal about their concerns surrounding a number of practices by the US tech heavyweight. Among these complaints are what the developers consider to be Apple’s arbitrary application of its own App Store guidelines, seemingly random content decisions, and poor communication.
Japan’s competition regulator promised to monitor the company more closely, and some prominent figures within the sector are publicly siding with Apple. Hironao Kunimitsu, founder and president of Tokyo-based mobile games studio Gumi Inc., has stated that “I want from the bottom of my heart for Epic to win.”
It’s a courageous industry move as Apple’s flagship iPhone product contributes significantly to the country’s gaming market – a recent study (conducted by Apple) estimated that the App Store generated $ 37 billion (£ 28.1 billion). million) in turnover and sales in Japan in 2019. However, the size and breadth of Japan’s developer community should make Apple pause: With 702,000 registered developers in the country, the views of the developer community Japan should have some weight.
Tencent sees market value plummet after India bans PUBG
Chinese conglomerate Tencent has seen its market value drop by nearly $ 42bn (£ 31.9bn) after the Indian government chose to ban its PUBG mobile game. The drop marks another blow for the holding giant, which has already seen its market value drop by $ 66bn (£ 50.2bn) after the WeChat instant messaging platform was banned in the US. forms the TikTok video app.
The decision adds PUBG to a number of Chinese mobile apps that have been banned from the Indian mobile sphere since July. Titles already excluded include Mobile Legends: Bang Bang and Clash of Kings, which appeared alongside TikTok on the initial list of 59 apps to be banned from cyberspace in the country. PUBG was included among 118 additional apps to be banned under an order issued by the government last Wednesday (2North Dakota September).
An Indian government statement claimed that the apps were involved in “activities that are detrimental to the sovereignty and integrity of India, the defense of India, state security and public order,” citing allegations of illegal data collection. as justification for both sets of prohibitions.
