Apple's famous '1984' video parodied by Fortnite game maker

Apple has removed Fortnite from its App Store for violating company’s in-app payment guidelines


Reuters August 14, 2020
A scene from the "Nineteen Eighty-Fortnite" short released by popular video game "Fortnite" maker Epic Games is seen, after Apple Inc removed the game from its App Store for violating the company's in-app payment guidelines. PHOTO: REUTERS

SAN FRANCISCO:

Fortnite maker Epic Games has used a famous Apple advertisement against the iPhone maker in a social media campaign accompanying a legal battle it launched on Thursday.

Epic's "Nineteen Eighty-Fortnite", shows a colorful female Fortnite fighter running through a black-and-white corridor and hurling a unicorn-shaped club against a screen showing an Apple-headed character talking about its control of the system.

Microsoft prices its dual-screen Android phone at $1,399, will arrive September 10

The Apple character features a worm sticking out of a bite mark that resembles Apple’s corporate logo and frameless spectacles similar to those worn by Apple Chief Executive Tim Cook in his official photograph on the iPhone maker’s website.

Apple earlier in the day removed “Fortnite” from its App Store for violating the company’s in-app payment guidelines, prompting developer Epic to file a lawsuit seeking to end Apple’s in-app payment practices.

The Fortnite video, watched nearly half a million times on YouTube within hours of its launch, is a parody of Apple's own "1984" commercial, which launched the Macintosh computer, styled as a threat to the personal computer of the day.

Google turns Android phones into earthquake sensors

Apple’s hero made a similar run, to throw a sledgehammer in protest against a totalitarian leader. The commercial, considered a classic, promised viewers “1984 won’t be like ‘1984’”, the dystopian novel by George Orwell.

At the time, Apple was a tiny challenger in the computer market, but on Thursday Epic’s video describing the game maker as “defying the App Store Monopoly”.

The video enthused thousands of commenters on YouTube.

“The war is on,” wrote one.

 

COMMENTS

Replying to X

Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive.

For more information, please see our Comments FAQ