> If you don't like Epic's store, just don't use it. Problem solved.
That only holds up until something you need is exclusive to a store that you don't want to use.
That only holds up until something you need is exclusive to a store that you don't want to use.
Perhaps in a more mature market where having several app stores on your phone is commonplace (assuming that even happens), we'll have an annoying situation of exclusives, but I don't expect that "instantly" or even remotely so.
Well funded app stores will just pay up front for exclusives. It’s completely standard practice in any comparable industry. Music, TV, Movies, books, podcasts, etc.
Developers might abstractly prefer to be on the main store, but some will be happy to take million dollar payouts from the marketing budgets of the new stores.
It’s hard enough for independents to be successful now, but once you have competing publishers like Epic in the game, the era of independent commercial app development will be over.
https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/epic-covering-refund-costs-...
https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2019/08/why-one-pc-developer-...
https://www.vg247.com/2019/07/09/epic-games-wants-pc-games-m...
Given epic's current behavior on PC, I think it would be a given that they would also do this on another App Store.
Which now that I think of it seems anticompetitive from Valve.
It won’t help consumers or developers, but it will allow epic and other well funded companies to insert themselves into a revenue stream without creating value.