{"id":41908,"date":"2024-01-29T15:58:56","date_gmt":"2024-01-29T20:58:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mjtsai.com\/blog\/?p=41908"},"modified":"2024-04-09T11:05:56","modified_gmt":"2024-04-09T15:05:56","slug":"app-marketplaces-altstore-and-epic-games-store","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mjtsai.com\/blog\/2024\/01\/29\/app-marketplaces-altstore-and-epic-games-store\/","title":{"rendered":"App Marketplaces: AltStore and Epic Games Store"},"content":{"rendered":"

AltStore<\/a>:<\/p>\n

We’ve started the process of becoming a legitimate “app marketplace”, allowing our European friends to download @delta and other AltStore apps officially for the first time ever!<\/p>

See you in March ☘️<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n

Jacob Kastrenakes<\/a>:<\/p>\n

Epic plans to launch the Epic Games Store<\/a> on the iPhone this year in the European Union — and it’s bringing Fortnite <\/em>back to the platform along with it.<\/p>

The announcement comes after Apple shared how it will open<\/a> up iOS in response to the EU’s crackdown on Big Tech. Epic CEO Tim Sweeney described Apple’s rules<\/a> as “hot garbage,” but they are clearly not so hot as to keep Epic away altogether.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n

Juli Clover<\/a>:<\/p>\n

Apple is charging an 0.50 euro fee per user per year for apps installed outside of the App Store (and in the App Store for developers who opt in to the new terms and also still choose to use Apple’s system), but there are no App Store commissions or in-app fees. While Apple is waiving fees for the first one million installs, the 0.50 per user fee will cost app developers like Epic Games a notable amount of money. Sweeney called Apple’s payment “junk fees.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n

Manton Reece<\/a>:<\/p>\n

\n

Reviewing news coverage of the Core Technology Fee, usually glossed over is that the CTF applies to every install of a marketplace.<\/p>\n

[…]<\/p>\n

Because marketplaces will usually be free, this makes it nearly impossible for them to work without charging developers just as much as Apple does, or having enough cash that it can lose money. Everything in Apple’s rules is designed to prevent anyone from using this.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n

Benedek Kozma<\/a>:<\/p>\n

Marketplaces have to pay CTF for all “first annual installs”, not just 1M+. Non-profits don’t have to pay the CTF but can only install apps from developers who also have the fee waivered.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n

Epic would have to pay the Core Technology Fee twice, both for the Fortnite app itself and for the marketplace app that’s used to download Fortnite. Plus, since marketplaces are supposed to be open to apps within a given category, Epic would also have the overhead of managing and reviewing whatever apps other developers submit to their marketplace.<\/p>\n\n

See also:<\/p>\n