Epic Games CEO to Speak in South Korea Next Week Against the App Store Amid Ongoing Tensions With Apple

Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney will appear next week at a conference in South Korea to discuss the fairness of mobile app platforms and ecosystems amid his company's ongoing tension with Apple, according to a press release.

app store blue banner epic 1
Sweeney will be joined by other members and representatives of the "Coalition for App Fairness," a group of developers and companies lobbying against Apple's "anti-competitive" App Store rules. The conference, "Global Conference on Mobile App Ecosystem Fairness," kicks off on Monday, November 15, in Seoul, South Korea.

South Korea has been the scene of recent legislation that could change the ‌App Store‌ in fundamental ways. Earlier in August, South Korea passed a bill that prohibits Apple, and other owners of mobile app distribution platforms, from forcing developers to use their own payment method. For the ‌App Store‌, that would result in Apple no longer requiring developers to use its in-app purchase system.

Apple has said the new change would put users at risk, decrease user trust in purchases made within apps, and make it harder for certain features, such as parental controls, to be implemented.

The Telecommunications Business Act will put users who purchase digital goods from other sources at risk of fraud, undermine their privacy protections, make it difficult to manage their purchases, and features like "Ask to Buy" and Parental Controls will become less effective. We believe user trust in App Store purchases will decrease as a result of this legislation — leading to fewer opportunities for the over 482,000 registered developers in Korea who have earned more than KRW8.55 trillion to date with Apple.

Following the passage of the bill, ‌Epic Games‌ had asked Apple to reinstate Fortnite onto the App Store in South Korea. Fortnite was removed from the ‌App Store‌ in August of 2020 after Epic implemented a direct-payment method for in-app purchases, a clear violation of Apple's ‌App Store‌ rules. The new law in South Korea is yet to go into effect, and even when it does, Apple had said that it has no obligation to reinstate Epic's developer account that was terminated prior to when it became law.

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Top Rated Comments

metapunk2077fail Avatar
45 months ago
Billionaires who conducts themselves like online trolls are scum. They say 'freedom' with one face but their other face is saying something else.

We see right through them.
Score: 25 Votes (Like | Disagree)
mattspace Avatar
45 months ago

"Coalition for App Fairness," a group of developers and company's
Companies - the plural of company.
Company's - a contraction of "Company is".
Company's - possessive, belonging to a company.
Score: 21 Votes (Like | Disagree)
SurferPup Avatar
45 months ago
Is it too much to wish for Tim Sweeney to be permanently exiled to North Korea?
Score: 16 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Mockletoy Avatar
45 months ago
No matter how I feel about the particulars in this case, Sweeney is the worst possible ambassador for his goals and ideas because he’s always been such a flaming ?hole. Someone should really tell him.
Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)
metapunk2077fail Avatar
45 months ago

Are you talking about Epic, Apple, or both?
That's a dumb question. Nobody at Apple is trying to start flame wars on Twitter to pursue a fash agenda.
Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Mockletoy Avatar
45 months ago

Right on. People like this "supporting my best interests" I really don't want nor need.
Anyone who thinks any massive, multinational corporation is their buddy or has their best interests at heart is a fool.

I will never understand the blind adoration and unshakable loyalty some people have for their favorite brands, because I assure you all those warm fuzzies only ever run in one direction.
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)