The whole legal fiasco between Epic Games and Apple (also Google now) over Fortnite being booted from the App Store has led to all sorts of opinions among nearly everyone else. Some see valid arguments from one side or the other, others see it as just corporations fighting for more money, while others still question Epic’s attempts to get Fortnite players involved. Among all these opinions is that of noted filmmaker Ridley Scott, whose work was parodied as part of Epic’s opening salvo against Apple.
It was clear from the get-go that Epic was ready to start a legal battle, because at the same time the company announced that it was suing Apple, it dropped a Fortnite version of Apple’s famous “1984” ad. Originally aired to a wide audience during that year’s Super Bowl, it used the classic dystopian novel of the same name to frame how Apple’s then-upcoming Macintosh computer would effectively free consumers from an oppressive status quo. Similarly, Epic’s “Nineteen Eighty-Fortnite” parody is trying to frame the App Store’s revenue policies, which demand a 30% cut of all purchases made within iOS apps, in the same light.
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In the wake of all this, IGN recently asked Scott, who directed 1984 in addition to such acclaimed films as Alien and Blade Runner, if he’s seen Fortnite‘s take. “I sure have,” he replied, “and I wrote to them because on the one hand I can be fully complimented by the fact they copied [my commercial] shot for shot.”
Despite the flattery he felt in that regard, Scott made it clear that he was disappointed in Nineteen Eighty-Fortnite ultimately, calling its message “so ordinary when they could have been talking about democracy or more powerful things… And they didn’t use it.” Going on, he added, “I think the animation was terrific, the idea was terrific, the message was ‘ehh’.”
It’s not hard to see the reasoning here. Whereas Apple was a relative newcomer challenging the norms of the computer market back when 1984 aired, Fortnite is one of the most successful video games ever made and one of the biggest shapers of gaming’s status quo these days. Putting that into consideration, one can understand why a lot of people might see Epic’s efforts to overturn the App Store’s policies and “#FreeFortnite” as more of an attempt to make even more money off the game, instead of the benevolent act of rebellion it’s painting it as.
For now, the legal battle wages on, with the court recently giving Apple the first major win in Epic’s lawsuit. Whatever this means for Fortnite players in the long run, it’s too soon to say, unfortunately.
Fortnite is free-to-play for PC, PS4, Switch, and Xbox One, with PS5 and Xbox Series X versions in development.
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Source: IGN