Posts Tagged: epic
Epic Games confirms Fortnite is coming back to iOS in Europe this year
Following Apple's announcement of enabling third-party app stores for iOS users in the European Union, Epic Games confirms that it'll be bringing Fortnite back to the iPhone and iPad in Europe later this year — by way of a new Epic mobile games store. This will mark the title's official return to Apple's platform since it was yanked back in August 2020, after Epic offered discounts to payments made directly to its own store, instead of Apple's App Store and Google Play which would take a 30-percent cut. iOS users have had to rely on Xbox Cloud Gaming or GeForce Now to play Fortnite, but this will soon be a thing of the past for those based in Europe.
Fortnite's grand return to iOS in Europe is all thanks to the EU's new Digital Markets Act, which goes into effect March 7. This allows developers to take payments and distribute apps from outside of the App Store, pending Apple's new "Notarization" approval process to spot harmful apps. Apple is also introducing a new fee structure that claims to cost less, if not the same, for most developers who publish to European markets.
Fortnite will return to iOS in Europe in 2024, distributed by the upcoming @EpicGames Store for iOS. Stay tuned for details as we figure out the regulatory timeline. We'll continue to argue to the courts and regulators that Apple is breaking the law. https://t.co/MHh6EGVinC
— Epic Games Newsroom (@EpicNewsroom) January 25, 2024
Even though the upcoming changes will allow Epic Games to make money off iOS users once again (at least in Europe), founder and CEO Tim Sweeney called out Cupertino for the "new Junk Fees on downloads and new Apple taxes on payments they don't process." The exec later spotted more "hot garbage" in the details, particularly the terms related to requesting an entitlement from Apple. "Under what possible theory of antitrust regulation is it acceptable for a monopoly to decide what companies are allowed to compete with it, and on what terms they can compete? Apple makes a mockery of free market competition," Sweeney said in a post on X. The infuriated tone here comes as no surprise, especially after the US Supreme Court rejected Epic's appeal that Apple violated federal antitrust laws earlier this month.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/epic-games-confirms-fortnite-is-coming-back-to-ios-in-europe-this-year-040818909.html?src=rss
Engadget is a web magazine with obsessive daily coverage of everything new in gadgets and consumer electronics
Google loses landmark antitrust lawsuit against Epic Games
Google has lost a landmark case against Epic Games after a jury decided on Monday that the web giant operates an illegal monopoly via its Android app store.
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‘Homeworld: Deserts of Kharak’ will be free on the Epic Games Store this month
Homeworld: Deserts of Kharak will be free on the Epic Games Store later this month. The well-received 2016 prequel to 1999 real-time strategy classic Homeworld arrives ahead of Homeworld 3, due early next year after multiple delays. The (usually $ 50) Deserts of Kharak will be available to claim on Epic’s storefront from August 24th to 31st.
The 2016 game takes place over a century before the events of Homeworld on the desert world of Kharak. The arid planet is the once-home of the Kushan people, protagonists of the 1999 original and central figures in the series. It’s the only Homeworld installment to move the action from space to the ground as you navigate the terrain to gain the advantage over the Kiith Gaalsien. This cult-like faction believes anyone who dreams of flying to the stars deserves harsh punishment — something they’re all too happy to dole out. Its gameplay honors the series’ strategic roots while adapting to ground play’s reduced axes of movement by making elevation (navigating the desert’s plateaus and valleys) a core focus.
Snagging the game for free can give the franchise’s fans something to tide them over ahead of Homeworld 3 in February 2024 — and publisher Gearbox Software would surely love to lure some younger gamers into the nearly quarter-century-old series.
The Homeworld series has ridden an IP roller coaster since the RTS genre’s late 90s / early 00s heyday. After the first game’s critically acclaimed reception, original developer Relic Entertainment made two more (also well-received) games: an expansion and a proper sequel. However, after 2003’s Homeworld 2, THQ bought Relic and failed to produce a single Homeworld game under its ownership.
The series only got another lease on life after THQ folded and Gearbox Software won a 2013 auction to secure its rights. The Borderlands maker revived the saga with remastered versions of the classic titles. Deserts of Kharak followed soon after, and Homeworld 3 was finally announced in 2019, using a crowdfunding campaign to raise money and gauge consumer interest. After several delays, the long-awaited third installment will (hopefully) arrive next winter.
Claiming the PC game from August 24th to 31st will require an Epic Games account. During that time, you can navigate to the Deserts of Kharak store page in a browser or use the Epic Games Launcher to redeem it.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/homeworld-deserts-of-kharak-will-be-free-on-the-epic-games-store-this-month-181511485.html?src=rss
Engadget is a web magazine with obsessive daily coverage of everything new in gadgets and consumer electronics
Google found to have violated order to save chat evidence in Epic antitrust case
A federal judge has ruled that Google violated a court order requiring it to preserve employee chat messages relevant to Epic's antitrust case, according to Bloomberg and CNBC. San Francisco US District Judge James Donato said the tech giant "adopted a 'don't ask, don't tell' policy for keeping messages, at the expense of its preservation duties," and must be sanctioned for its actions. Donato has yet to decide on what sanctions and penalties Google should face, but he ordered the company to cover Epic's attorney's fees related to this particular issue.
Donato said in his decision that Google gave almost 360 employees the complete freedom to decide whether or not to preserve chat histories. In a separate filing by the Department of Justice over the same complaint, the agency explained that the tech giant's internal chatroom, which is used to discuss "substantive and sensitive business," is set to delete chat messages within 24 hours by default. The agency expected Google to change its chat history setting in 2019 when it "reasonably anticipated [the] litigation," but it still allegedly left the decision to individual employees.
Epic Games, to support its case, recently submitted exhibits to show how Google employees tend to switch off chat history. In one example from 2021, Google CEO Sundar Pichai allegedly wrote: "…also can we change the setting of this group to history off." He attempted to delete that message a few seconds later, according to the filing. Google employees also reportedly switch off chat histories when discussing topics, such as revenue sharing and mobile app distribution agreements, as well as a project that involves changing commission rates for Google Play.
In a statement, a Google spokesperson said the company has worked with Epic and investigators over the years and has handed over millions of documents: "Our teams have conscientiously worked, for years, to respond to Epic and the state AGs’ discovery requests and we have produced over three million documents, including thousands of chats. We'll continue to show the court how choice, security, and openness are built into Android and Google Play," they said.
The judge will hold further proceedings to finalize the sanctions Google must face. Donato said he'd like to see the evidence available "at the end of fact discovery," so that Epic would be better positioned to "tell the Court what might have been lost in the Chat communications."
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/google-found-to-have-violated-order-to-save-chat-evidence-in-epic-antitrust-case-052711779.html?src=rss
Engadget is a web magazine with obsessive daily coverage of everything new in gadgets and consumer electronics
Epic made a Rivian R1T demo to show off its latest Unreal Engine 5 tools
In 2020, Epic Games publicly demoed Unreal Engine 5 for the first time. Nearly three years later, gamers are still waiting for the tech to go mainstream. Outside of Fortnite and The Matrix Awakens, there aren’t any UE5 games you can play right now, and the first salvo probably won’t arrive until the end of the year at the earliest. None of that stopped Epic from showcasing the engine’s latest capabilities with a handful of new demos during its recent State of Unreal keynote at GDC 2023.
Arguably the most impressive one saw Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2 developer Ninja Theory show off Epic’s new MetaHuman Animator. The tool promises to make realistic facial capture accessible to indie developers by allowing them to use an iPhone, instead of dedicated equipment, to capture facial performances. As you can see from the two demos Epic shared, the tool makes it possible to quickly and accurately transform a closeup video of an actor into something a studio can use in-game. Epic said the animator would launch this summer.
Separately, Epic showed off some of the enhancements coming to Unreal Engine 5.2 with a demo that featured, of all things, a digital recreation of Rivian’s R1T electric truck. The EV turned out to be the perfect showcase for UE 5’s new Substrate shading system. The technology allows artists to create different shading models and layer them as they see fit. In the demo, Epic gave the R1T an opal body to show how Substrate can allow different material layers to interact with one another without creating lighting artifacts. The demo was also a showcase for Epic’s new set of Procedural Content Generation tools. They allow artists to create expansive, highly detailed levels from a small set of hand-crafted assets.
If all goes according to plan, it won’t be much longer before the first slate of Unreal Engine 5 games arrive. Provided it’s not delayed again, Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl is slated to release this year. Lords of the Fallen and Black Myth: Wukong, two other UE5 projects, don’t have a release date yet but have been in development for a few years now.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/epic-made-a-rivian-r1t-demo-to-show-off-its-latest-unreal-engine-5-tools-214300199.html?src=rss
Engadget is a web magazine with obsessive daily coverage of everything new in gadgets and consumer electronics
Apple will let Epic Games users ‘sign in with Apple’ for a bit longer
A day before Apple was set to shut down the “sign in with Apple” prompt for Epic Games users, the company has retreated on its threat. Apple issued an indefinite extension on the matter, meaning for now, Epic Games players can still use “sign in with…
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Epic built a real-life soundstage for in-game ‘Fortnite’ concerts
Epic Games is getting more serious when it comes to in-game Fortnite concerts. It built a soundstage in Los Angeles, where artists can put on a show that’ll be broadcast in the Party Royale mode.Fortnite, of course, has hosted a number of big events…
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After Fortnite is removed from Apple and Google’s app stores, an Epic lawsuit is launched
It was a relatively slow week in the tech world until Epic Games came along with its Mega Drop 20% discount that passed along the saving on V-Bucks and real-money offers to players that chose to pay via Epic Direct payments. Those who chose to pay with Apple Pay or Google Pay were left to […]
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Epic Games Store summer sale discounts ‘Disco Elysium,’ ‘Control’ and more
Epic’s PC game store has kicked off a summer sale of its own — take that, Steam — and it includes a few noteworthy discounts on titles you might not have picked up yet. A game like Remedy’s shooter Control is available for 50 percent off at $ 30, whil…
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After a year on the Epic Store, ‘Journey’ is heading to Steam
More than eight years after it first came out on the PlayStation 3, almost five years after its PlayStation 4 rerelease and about one year after coming out on PC, Journey is finally making its way to Steam. The game’s PC publisher, Annapurna Interact…
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After a year of Epic Games exclusivity, ‘Hades’ heads to Steam Early Access
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Epic Games Store cloud saves roll out for two games
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Epic Games is bringing their own gaming storefront to Android
Epic Games circumvented the Google Play Store with the launch of Fortnite by exclusively releasing the massively popular game through Samsung’s own store for Galaxy devices and Epic’s website for everyone else. This avoided Google’s 30% revenue cut and allowed Epic to release updates more directly to players, if you believe them. They’re taking that […]
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Epic won’t be putting Fortnite on the Play Store, offering a direct download instead
By now you’ve probably heard the rumors that Fortnite will be launching alongside the Galaxy Note 9 in a few days, probably, but it turns out it might not be showing up on the Play Store that same day. Or ever, if Epic’s plans shake out. Instead of showing up on Google’s de facto app […]
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NASA’s Cassini probe bids farewell to Saturn with epic image
NASA's Cassini spacecraft was always destined to be a doomed hero. After two decades in space, diligently exploring Saturn and its many strange and beautiful moons, operators deliberately crashed the spacecraft into the planet to make sure the moons…
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‘Fortnite’ studio Epic Games sues two alleged cheaters
Earlier this week, Fortnite publisher Epic Games filed a civil suit against two people who were allegedly cheating while playing the game online. They were associated with subscription-based website Addicted Cheats and used its services to hunt down…
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Epic hopes ‘PUBG’-style ‘Fortnite: Battle Royale’ will tempt gamers
Epic Games' Fortnite has been out for a while in paid Early Access, but hasn't quite taken off in the same way that, say, Player Unknown Battlegrounds (PUBG) has. The hot new indie "battle royale" title has a massive, rabid user base and an impressiv…
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New computer models could direct scientists to epic cosmic events
Now that they're spotting gravitational waves more often, scientists are expanding their search for cosmic events. Specifically, they're using new computer models to depict the cataclysmic collision that occurs when a black hole joins a neutron star…
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What to expect from the epic tech extravaganza about to open in Berlin
Germany’s IFA in Berlin is one of the largest and oldest tech shows in the world. This year, we expect to see a ton of new devices from Samsung, Huawei, ZTE, Sony, Intel, Panasonic, and many more. Here’s what’s coming.
The post What to expect from the epic tech extravaganza about to open in Berlin appeared first on Digital Trends.
eBook subscription service Epic! is bringing books to kids
Today, less than two years after its launch,more than 10 million books have been read on the Epic! platform, and with a library that is growing every day, this number and perhaps children’s interest in reading will continue to burgeon.
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Apple Introduces iPad Pro Featuring Epic 12.9-inch Retina Display
Apple has introduced the all-new iPad Pro, featuring a 12.9-inch Retina display with 5.6 million pixels and the new 64-bit A9X chip. The new larger iPad Pro is thin and light and provides all-day battery life. Apple also introduced Apple Pencil for iPad Pro and the new Smart Keyboard, available for purchase separately. “iPad Pro is the most advanced and powerful iPad we have ever made. Its beautiful and large 12.9-inch Retina display has 5.6 million pixels and provides an immersive experience for content and apps. The iPad Pro is far and away the fastest iOS device we have ever made — its A9X chip beats most portable PCs in both CPU and graphics tasks, but is thin and light enough to hold all day,” said Apple’s Philip Schiller. “The innovative Apple Pencil and new Smart Keyboard enable users to customize their iPad Pro experience to the particular apps they use and the work they do, making iPad Pro ideal for everything from professional productivity to advanced 3D design.”
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The 10 most epic Rube Goldberg machines of all time
Want to see something totally mesmerizing? Check out the top ten best Rube Goldberg machines on the Internet.
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