Roblox Users Don't Make Games, And Other Tidbits From Epic v. Apple

The Epic vs. Apple trial continues apace, and while there haven't been any amazing finds like we had in its first week, there have been a few noteworthy discoveries and legally binding statements, both from the two main parties involved and others.

* Here's a head-scratcher: Roblox users don't create games. That's right, after all these years, Roblox argued that what its users create are "experiences," and the company has edited nearly every mention of "games" on its website to "experiences." In addition, its in-app menus have changed from "Games" to "Discovery."

Why the switch? Because, Apple argued, if Roblox's "experiences" were "games," then Roblox would essentially be marketing games within a game in the App Store (and Google Play Store), with creators being paid for their efforts and circumventing the App Store's fees -- not unlike what Epic tried to do with Fortnite. In addition, each "game" might need to be listed separately in the App Store, which would be an obvious nightmare. Thus, legally, nobody creates "games" in Roblox any more! And nobody ever has, apparently.

* If you paid attention to the numbers that were presented a couple of weeks ago, you'd notice that Fortnite actually makes relatively little money on mobile devices as compared to consoles and PCs. As a result, you might wonder why Epic is fighting so hard to keep it on mobile.

The answer from Epic's marketing director, Matthew Weissinger, is that Fortnite has "reached basically full penetration on console and mobile offers the biggest growth opportunity." That's because, he argues, nearly everyone has a phone -- and is more likely to have one at hand -- while consoles are much more limited, both in terms of numbers and availability. He said that Epic has "absolutely ... in a number of ways" been harmed by having Fortnite removed from mobile stores.

* Want some more numbers? On Gamasutra, Simon Carless has tallied a few from various sources, referencing Protocol's Nick Statt in saying that Epic has made over $800 million from the Epic Games Store, while third-party developers have brought in over $500 million. Remember that at least some of that second number likely comes from guarantees -- which in at least one case, was significant.

Statt also said that Epic claimed to have "14 projects in development," and no, they're not all Fortnite skins. Probably.