Microsoft Opens Its App Store to Epic, Amazon, Other Storefronts

Microsoft said on Tuesday it will allow Epic Games, Amazon, and other firms to integrate their app stores into the technology giant’s marketplace, giving more options to third-party developers.

The Redmond, Washington-based company also said it would not take a cut from app developers’ revenue, when the apps manage their own in-app payment systems.

“Microsoft is again leading the industry forward with Windows, now an open platform with an open store,” Epic Games Chief Executive Officer Tim Sweeney tweeted.

The move comes as Epic Games and Apple have been locked in a legal dispute since last year when the Fortnite creator tried to get around Apple’s 30 percent fee on some in-app purchases on the App Store by launching its own in-app payment system.

Apple has blacklisted Fortnite from the iPhone maker’s popular App Store for several years until all the court appeals are done, Epic Games Chief Executive Officer Tim Sweeney said recently. Epic Games’ opening brief in its appeal to the US 9th Circuit Court of Appeals is due December 12, according to a court filing and Apple’s reply is due by Jan. 20, 2022. The full appeal process could take years.

Developers have long criticised Apple’s commissions of between 15 percent and 30 percent on many App Store purchases, what some developers see as an opaque and unpredictable app-vetting process.

Google will now take a smaller cut when customers buy software from other vendors on its cloud marketplace, according to a recent report. The Google Cloud Platform is cutting its percentage revenue share to 3 percent from 20 percent, the CNBC report said, citing a person familiar with the matter.

© Thomson Reuters 2021