The gaming landscape is shifting, and Epic Games is seizing the moment. Fresh off a significant legal victory against Apple, the Fortnite creator has unveiled a bold strategy aimed squarely at disrupting the established app store ecosystem.
Starting next month, Epic will introduce both a compelling zero-commission structure for developers and the innovative Epic Games Store Webshops, directly challenging the revenue models of giants like Apple and Google. This move arrives at a pivotal time, empowered by recent legal rulings that dismantle barriers preventing developers from offering alternative payment methods to their users.
In a clear bid to attract more creators to its platform, Epic Games will waive its platform fee entirely on the first $1 million in revenue earned by a developer per application each year. Beyond this threshold, the standard 12% commission will apply. This drastically undercuts the typical 15-30% fees levied by Apple’s App Store and Google Play Store, even surpassing their reduced rates for smaller developers. This aggressive pricing strategy presents a significant incentive for both indie studios and larger publishers to consider the Epic Games Store as a more economically viable distribution channel.
Starting in June 2025, for any Epic Games Store payments we process, developers will pay a 0% revenue share on their first $1,000,000 in revenue per app per year, and then our regular 88%/12% revenue share when they earn more than that.
Complementing this developer-friendly revenue share is the launch of Epic Games Store Webshops. These web storefronts will enable developers to offer in-game purchases directly to players outside of the traditional app environment. Epic highlights this as a more cost-effective alternative to in-app purchases, where platform holders often impose substantial fees.
The recent legal rulings, particularly in the European Union and the United States, now permit developers to guide players from their games to these external webshops for transactions. This circumvents the commission structures of app stores, allowing developers to retain a larger portion of their earnings. To further incentivize players to utilize these webshops, Epic will introduce a 5% Epic Rewards program on all purchases made through them, which can be used for future acquisitions within the Epic ecosystem.
The timing of these announcements is no coincidence. Following a US court ruling that effectively dismantles Apple’s tight control over App Store payment systems, Epic is moving swiftly to capitalize on this newfound freedom. The ruling mandates that Apple must remove obstacles preventing developers from informing users about alternative payment options.
In response to this legal development, Epic CEO Tim Sweeney announced the imminent return of Fortnite to the US App Store. Sweeney, characterizing the legal outcome as “Game over for the Apple Tax,” even extended a “peace proposal,” suggesting Fortnite’s global return to the App Store if Apple adopts a worldwide, commission-free framework for external payments.
While Apple has yet to officially comment on the ruling and intends to appeal, Epic’s proactive measures signal a clear intent to reshape the digital distribution landscape, offering developers and players a compelling alternative.
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