Tim Sweeney, CEO da desenvolvedora americana Epic Games, passou cinco anos enfrentando a Apple em um processo judicial que questionava as regras da gigante de tecnologia.
A vitória da empresa por trás de jogos como Fornite, Fall Guys e Rocket League obrigou a Apple a revisar as políticas da loja de aplicativos App Store. Mas o custo foi alto: mais de US$ 1 bilhão, entre custos jurídicos e a receita perdida, segundo entrevista publicada no portal Business Insider.
O conflito começou em 2020, quando a Epic Games tentou contornar as taxas de 30% cobradas pela Apple sobre todas as transações realizadas dentro dos aplicativos da App Store. Essas taxas, que afetavam desde compras dentro do jogo até assinaturas, tornaram-se um ponto de atrito, pois a Apple controlava a distribuição de aplicativos e impunha essas condições, criando um verdadeiro monopólio no mercado de apps para iPhones.
Enquanto o Android oferece várias alternativas, como a Amazon App Store e a Baidu, onde desenvolvedores podem distribuir seus apps com menos restrições e custos, no iOS os desenvolvedores ainda estavam limitados à App Store, o que gerava insatisfação.
Um novo momento
Com a recente decisão judicial favorável à Epic, a Apple agora é obrigada a permitir que desenvolvedores busquem outras formas de distribuição e pagamento, abrindo caminho para um mercado mais competitivo. Recentemente, alternativas à App Store começaram a surgir, como a AltStore PAL, uma loja de aplicativos não oficial que está sendo liberada gradualmente em alguns países.
Sweeney revelou que os custos legais superaram US$ 100 milhões, sem contar a perda de receita direta. “Nos dois anos em que o Fortnite esteve disponível na App Store, fizemos cerca de US$ 300 milhões só na plataforma iOS. A perda foi muito maior quando consideramos os novos jogadores que deixaram de ser expostos ao jogo”, afirmou o executivo.
Embora a Apple tenha sinalizado que irá recorrer da decisão, Sweeney está confiante de que o Fortnite retornará em breve ao iPhone. “Acredito que a Apple não terá coragem de manter esse bloqueio por muito tempo”, disse ele.
A luta com a Apple pode ter sido longa e custosa, mas para o CEO da Epic, valeu cada centavo. “Essa batalha não foi apenas pela Epic, mas por todos os desenvolvedores“, disse.
![TOPSHOT - Apple Park, Apple's circular HQ office building, is seen in an aerial view over Cupertino, California on May 16, 2024. (Photo by JOSH EDELSON / AFP) (Photo by JOSH EDELSON/AFP via Getty Images)]( "TOPSHOT - Apple Park, Apple's circular HQ office building, is seen in an aerial view over Cupertino, California on May 16, 2024. (Photo by JOSH EDELSON / AFP) (Photo by JOSH EDELSON/AFP via Getty Images)")
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TOPSHOT – Apple Park, Apple’s circular HQ office building, is seen in an aerial view over Cupertino, California on May 16, 2024. (Photo by JOSH EDELSON / AFP) (Photo by JOSH EDELSON/AFP via Getty Images)
(O complexo ocupa uma área de 175 acres e é conhecido como o “anel espacial” devido ao seu design circular futurista.)![Cupertino, California / USA - December 22, 2022: Aerial view of Apple corporate headquarters building in Silicon Valley.Apple Inc. is an American multinational technology company headquartered in Cupertino, California that designs, develops, and sells consumer electronics, computer software, and online services.]( "Cupertino, California / USA - December 22, 2022: Aerial view of Apple corporate headquarters building in Silicon Valley.Apple Inc. is an American multinational technology company headquartered in Cupertino, California that designs, develops, and sells consumer electronics, computer software, and online services.")
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Cupertino, California / USA – December 22, 2022: Aerial view of Apple corporate headquarters building in Silicon Valley.Apple Inc. is an American multinational technology company headquartered in Cupertino, California that designs, develops, and sells consumer electronics, computer software, and online services.
(A construção do Apple Park custou aproximadamente US$ 5 bilhões.)![Attendees wait for the start of an Apple Inc. event at the Steve Jobs Theater in Cupertino, California, U.S., on Wednesday, Sept. 12, 2018. Apple will kick off a blitz of new products this week, ending a year of minor updates and setting the technology giant up for a potentially strong holiday quarter. Photographer: David Paul Morris/Bloomberg via Getty Images]( "Attendees wait for the start of an Apple Inc. event at the Steve Jobs Theater in Cupertino, California, U.S., on Wednesday, Sept. 12, 2018. Apple will kick off a blitz of new products this week, ending a year of minor updates and setting the technology giant up for a potentially strong holiday quarter. Photographer: David Paul Morris/Bloomberg via Getty Images")
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Attendees wait for the start of an Apple Inc. event at the Steve Jobs Theater in Cupertino, California, U.S., on Wednesday, Sept. 12, 2018. Apple will kick off a blitz of new products this week, ending a year of minor updates and setting the technology giant up for a potentially strong holiday quarter. Photographer: David Paul Morris/Bloomberg via Getty Images
(O Apple Park possui o Steve Jobs Theater, um auditório com capacidade para 1.000 pessoas, usado para lançamentos de produtos e eventos importantes da empresa.)![]()
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(Mais de 9.000 árvores foram plantadas no Apple Park, incluindo pomares de frutas, destacando o compromisso da Apple com o meio ambiente e a sustentabilidade.)
![Cupertino, California, USA - March 28, 2018: Exterior view of Apple Park Visitor Center in Silicon Valley, California. Apple Inc. is an American multinational technology company.]( "Cupertino, California, USA - March 28, 2018: Exterior view of Apple Park Visitor Center in Silicon Valley, California. Apple Inc. is an American multinational technology company.")
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Cupertino, California, USA – March 28, 2018: Exterior view of Apple Park Visitor Center in Silicon Valley, California. Apple Inc. is an American multinational technology company.
(O campus abriga cerca de 12.000 funcionários, todos em um único edifício principal com 260.000 metros quadrados.)![CUPERTINO, CA - MARCH 25: Attendees gather before an Apple product launch event at the Steve Jobs Theater at Apple Park on March 25, 2019 in Cupertino, California. Apple Inc. announced the launch of it's new video streaming service, and unveiled a premium subscription tier to its News app. (Photo by Michael Short/Getty Images)]( "CUPERTINO, CA - MARCH 25: Attendees gather before an Apple product launch event at the Steve Jobs Theater at Apple Park on March 25, 2019 in Cupertino, California. Apple Inc. announced the launch of it's new video streaming service, and unveiled a premium subscription tier to its News app. (Photo by Michael Short/Getty Images)")
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CUPERTINO, CA – MARCH 25: Attendees gather before an Apple product launch event at the Steve Jobs Theater at Apple Park on March 25, 2019 in Cupertino, California. Apple Inc. announced the launch of it’s new video streaming service, and unveiled a premium subscription tier to its News app. (Photo by Michael Short/Getty Images)
(O campus utiliza 100% de energia renovável, com um dos maiores sistemas de painéis solares do mundo, gerando cerca de 17 megawatts de energia.)![Tim Cook, chief executive officer of Apple Inc., holds an Apple 15-inch MacBook Air laptop computer during the Apple Worldwide Developers Conference at Apple Park campus in Cupertino, California, US, on Monday, June 5, 2023. Apple Inc. will charge $3,499 for its long-awaited mixed-reality headset, testing whether consumers are ready to spend big bucks on a technology that the company sees as the future of computing. Photographer: Philip Pacheco/Bloomberg via Getty Images]( "Tim Cook, chief executive officer of Apple Inc., holds an Apple 15-inch MacBook Air laptop computer during the Apple Worldwide Developers Conference at Apple Park campus in Cupertino, California, US, on Monday, June 5, 2023. Apple Inc. will charge $3,499 for its long-awaited mixed-reality headset, testing whether consumers are ready to spend big bucks on a technology that the company sees as the future of computing. Photographer: Philip Pacheco/Bloomberg via Getty Images")
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Tim Cook, chief executive officer of Apple Inc., holds an Apple 15-inch MacBook Air laptop computer during the Apple Worldwide Developers Conference at Apple Park campus in Cupertino, California, US, on Monday, June 5, 2023. Apple Inc. will charge $3,499 for its long-awaited mixed-reality headset, testing whether consumers are ready to spend big bucks on a technology that the company sees as the future of computing. Photographer: Philip Pacheco/Bloomberg via Getty Images
(O Apple Park possui um centro de visitantes com uma loja exclusiva, café e um deck de observação, atraindo milhares de visitantes todos os anos.)![Cupertino CA USA December 14, 2019: Apple headquarters offices building exterior and inner court with outdoor eating area, on a bright cold December day.]( "Cupertino CA USA December 14, 2019: Apple headquarters offices building exterior and inner court with outdoor eating area, on a bright cold December day.")
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Cupertino CA USA December 14, 2019: Apple headquarters offices building exterior and inner court with outdoor eating area, on a bright cold December day.
(A arquitetura do Apple Park inclui um sistema de ventilação natural que permite que o edifício funcione sem aquecimento ou ar-condicionado durante nove meses do ano.)
Fonte: Exame
