Fortnite Invokes 1984 With New Anti-Apple Ad
By invoking 1984, Epic is positing themselves as a bastion of free speech and goodwill towards the masses, and Apple as an overlord.
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What’s more dystopian than corporations dictating our daily habits and general wellbeing? Easy: corporations invoking George Orwell in a petty feud over microtransactions.
Following Apple yanking Fortnite from the App Store, Epic Games filed a formal legal complaint against the tech giant. Now, they’re doing what every white boy in high school does when he turns 16: comparing the whole situation to George Orwell’s 1984.
The commercial depicts Apple as a literal apple-headed dictator, delivering a speech to a legion of unwashed masses via a massive screen. But then, a heroic Fortnite character breaks into the assembly, and decides to take a stand against the dictator. The sentient microtransaction then throws another microtransaction at the screen, busting it up in an attempt to liberate the crowd. As she walks away, ominous text in that goofy, bad font scrolls onto the screen.
This text reads:
Epic Games has defied the App Store Monopoly. In retaliation, Apple is blocking Fortnite from a billion devices. Join the fight to stop 2020 from becoming “1984.”
They then end the video with a hashtag: #FreeFortnite.
In essence, by invoking 1984, Epic is positing themselves as a bastion of free speech and goodwill towards the masses, while positioning Apple as an evil corporate overlord that’s depriving people of free speech. It’s a bold claim for a corporation that routinely abuses its employees to make fun hats for a children’s game, but hey, why not make 2020 even worse somehow?
Petty potshots aside, this is a pretty unprecedented move. A corporation calling another corporation out for monopolistic practices is a bold strategy, and a very blatant attempt to weaponize their mostly teenage fanbase. Will it pay off? Who’s to say! But regardless of how this pans out, it’ll be hilarious for us to all watch capitalism eat itself alive while we continue to beg for its scraps.
Link Source : https://www.thegamer.com/fortnite-invokes-1984-new-anti-apple-ad/