Apple just kicked Fortnite off the App Store

No, it isn’t the same. Far from it. Microsoft and Sony don’t prohibit linking to external signup & account management, which is why I can resubscribe my FFXIV account from a console.

Apple’s rules prevent vendors from linking to external service account setup/management. You cannot even mention the existence thereof, let alone link to it or advertise the options provided therein. Consumers are explicitly kept in the dark about any method other than payment through the App Store.

That’s the stunning uppercut. The size of Apple’s fee is merely a follow-up kick to the nads.

This is why service providers, from Hey.com to Netflix, have a special irritation for the App Store rules, and since this rule directly distorts markets by affecting consumer choice is why so many competition regulators have a file open about it.

XBOX might let you do some things Apple won’t, but you can’t buy a productivity app for your XBOX. They’re just different restrictions and rules for different devices, the whole point of competition is to be able to do things differently.

I can actually open Office documents, there is OneDrive for Xbox. I’m sure of myself with the App Store having read Apple’s rules thoroughly before developing our own app, but not so sure for Microsoft. Is there an actual prohibition against productivity apps for the Xbox? Or is it just a matter of natural segmentation?

Fortnite is probably the most profitable mobile app out there and Apple's negotiating position is, effectively, "Fuck you, pay me!". So Epic turns to Apple's main competitor in Google. Google's negotiating position is, effectively, "Fuck you, pay me!". That's clear and convincing evidence that the app market is fundamentally broken.

If Microsoft was playing hardball with Rockstar over the next version of GTA, as an example, Sony would be falling over themselves rushing to get it as a PlayStation exclusive. The console market and app market just aren't comparable.

A gaming console store is different from a smartphone store. One is for entertainment while the other affects everything in your life.

If anything, smartphone stores will be under more scrutiny.

> you can’t buy a productivity app for your XBOX.

I have no idea why you'd want to, but you can... UWP apps run just fine on Xbox and can be sold via the store - they just don't get access to the "exclusive" partition of the system (which you need to access certain system resources, such as > 2GB RAM). Sideloading prebuilt UWP apps is also possible. The exclusive partition is a different situation entirely - you need to be an approved developer to even access the SDKs.

I'd say there's a difference between what Xbox (and Playstation, and Nintendo) does compared to Apple by virtue of the consoles not being "open" development platforms (Xbox UWP aside). Anyone can grab the iOS SDK and start making apps, but only registered developers can do so on game consoles. Whether that's justified I don't know, I honestly haven't put enough thought into it. And whether courts would see that as a reason I definitely don't know.

Full disclosure, I work for Microsoft.

Google's position isn't so cut and dry. They allow alternative app stores, and even installing apks from any rando with a website. Google makes sure you know there's risks, but it's easy to do. That's an extremely different situation than Apple.

Google basically says, "we have a store. Sell through us and we take a cut. Or sell directly, or through some other store, and we'll warn users that we haven't vetted that stuff for security etc."

Oops, minor correction - UWP apps can only use 1GB of RAM on Xbox, not 2 (among other limitations).