Tim Sweeney's Epic Turns on Customers After Fight Against Apple

2 hours ago 1

Published Mar 14, 2026, 9:45 PM EDT

Jaime Tugayev is the News Editor for DualShockers with over a decade of experience, and a much longer love for fantasy, shooters and strategy games.

'You either die a hero, or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain.' Whether it was Plato or Harvey Dent who said that doesn't matter too much today. The real issue is that Tim Sweeney, the big boss in charge of Unreal Engine, Fortnite, and the rest of Epic's portfolio, is deep into the dark side of his story.

Sweeney has overseen Fortnite's transformation from a poor man's PUBG to one of the world's most popular games, but most of his street cred today is due to a drawn-out corporate battle against Apple and Google that depicted him as a modern-day Robin Hood.

Six years on, however, and it seems Sweeney has felt the need to remind us that our alliance was one of convenience, and he is just as villainous as any other big gaming CEO.

Epic's original strategy to try to make Apple foot the bill has now changed to a timeless classic: making you pay more for the same.

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The origin of Epic's struggles against Apple and Google has parallels with the American independence from the United Kingdom, or the Trade Federation's dispute against the Galactic Republic.

Sweeney has always firmly argued that the 30% share charged by digital storefronts on in-app purchases was abusive, especially compared to the Epic Games Store's own 12%. The fight would eventually escalate into a congressional hearing and major lawsuits.

Most of [Sweeney's] street cred today is due to a drawn-out corporate battle against Apple and Google

While Epic did not get clear wins in the courtroom, the noise it generated was enough for many legislators outside of the United States to essentially codify Tim Sweeney's grievances, forcing Apple and Google to allow third-party storefronts to operate on their operating systems.

Fortnite Finally Returns To IOS After A Grueling 5-Year-Long Legal Dispute

Finally, after years of waiting and a long, arduous legal battle, Epic Games' Fortnite has finally returned to iOS platforms.

In a disappointing twist, however, the same man who criticized digital storefronts for taking too much of his money without providing added value is now trying to excuse doing the same to Fortnite players.

Earlier this week, Epic updated the price table for V-Bucks packages in Fortnite. Here is how things shake out:

Package Price

Original V-Bucks

New V-Bucks

Value Loss

$8.99

$22.99

$36.99

$89.99

1000	800	20%
2800	2400	14.3%
5000	4500	10%
13500	12500	7.4%

The situation is even more grim for users seeking to buy an exact amount. Previously, 50 V-Bucks would set you back around $0.50. Epic has raised it to $0.99.

Sweeny has stayed conveniently quiet since the announcement, but Epic's senior director of ecosystem growth, Andre Balta, has chalked the increase down to the "operating costs of running a business".

Considering the company generated just over $6 billion in 2025, its best performance ever, it's hard to paint this digital shrinkflation as anything other than corporate greed. And thus, Tim Sweeney, once an unlikely hero, becomes the villain.