We recently talked about a feud which might as well turn out to be the biggest seen in recent times. Less than a week ago, Fortnite fans all over the world observed that the game had been removed from both the Apple and Google app stores. Soon after that, the reasons were revealed.
As it turns out, Fortnite had developed an alternate payment method for its mobile users. Players could choose to use the usual app store payment system, or a direct approach that allowed them to save around 20% of their money. This was a problem for Apple and Google, as both levy around 30% on each transaction made on their platforms.
While Epic Games responded with a lawsuit, one particular aspect of the feud has confused Fortnite fans all over the world. On the 14th of August, the game's official Fortnite account tweeted the following. As you can see, the '1984' parody has a 'Big Brother' like character with an apple for a head, and a worm sticking out from the top.
In this article, we explain what exactly the whole parody is about.
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Fortnite: What happened in 1984?
The phrase 'What happened in 1984' has become a trending query on the internet. In truth, '1984' is a fictional book by acclaimed writer George Orwell. In the dystopian world that he created, three totalitarian states existed. One of the three, 'Airstrip One', formerly called 'The Great Britain', was ruled by the 'Party'. 'Big Brother' was the leader of this organization.
The Party ruled and controlled each and every aspect of people's lives, and had banned love and sexual intercourse. There were quite a few methods of surveillance, including telescreens that were in truth two-way screens that allowed for constant surveillance by the 'Thought Police'.
Further, people who attempted to go against the Party's ideals became 'unpersons', and every proof of their existence was deleted.
Fortnite's developers have attempted to liken this situation with what Apple is doing in real life. There is the constant surveillance, the deletion of apps that do not 'conform' to their 'Anti-competitive' practices, and a lack of freedom for people to choose other platforms.
Of course, the video is grossly exaggerated, and what Apple has done does not even come close to the tragic world George Orwell once described.
Regardless, there are certain similarities, especially in the context of surveillance and the lack of flexibility that the company has shown towards the game. Furthermore, as Fortnite CEO Tim Sweeney recently explained, Apple is not providing a service which is worth such a high fee.