Fortnite CEO and co-founder Tim Sweeney didn’t mince words while discussing the tech industry, tearing into both Facebook and Google during a keynote speech in Las Vegas.
"We have businesses that profit by doing their customers harm," Sweeney told the crowd at the DICE Summit."Facebook and Google have been one of the leaders in this,” he added. “They provide free services then make you pay for their service in loss of privacy and loss of freedom."
Referring to Facebook and Google’s business practices as the "bad and ugly" aspects of the industry, Sweeney claimed it would be "critical" for Fortnite to evolve and scrap the "customer adversarial model" being used by the tech giants as it continues to grow into a full-fledged social media platform, and not just a video game. He also hopes to do away with the "pay-to-play" system.
"We have to ask ourselves, as an industry, what we want to be when we grow up?" Sweeney noted. "Do we want to be like Las Vegas, with slot machines ... or do we want to be widely respected as creators of products that customers can trust? I think we will see more and more publishers move away from loot boxes."
Sweeney had been discussing the future of the gaming and tech industries before he began blasting Facebook and Google. Several different topics came up during his speech, including the need for mobile platforms to "open up" to gaming companies and allow them to occupy the space. Sweeney also said he’s attempted to get a Fortnite app on the Google Play store to no avail.
"Fortnite was rejected ... just because it used a different payment method than was supported," he said. "That needs to change, and it will change."
(via THR)