Apple is retaliating against Epic Games’ lawsuit by removing Epic’s developer account and revoking its access to Mac and iOS development tools, Epic claims. It’s yet another move in an escalating legal confrontation between the two companies after Apple removed Fortnite from the App Store following Epic implementing its own payment system within the app, which goes against Apple’s terms and conditions for developers.
Apple’s changes for Epic Games on its platform are set to go into effect on Friday, August 28, and will result in all Epic Games products being removed from the App Store. In response to the move, Epic Games has filed a motion for a temporary restraining order against Apple, and asked courts to block Apple’s action. Fortnite released a short swiping at Apple, which seems to have worsened the conflict between the two companies.
Perhaps the most significant effect in Apple’s move is the effect it will have on Unreal Engine, a widely used game engine owned by Epic Games. According to Epic, Apple’s restrictions “would terminate Epic’s access to development tools, including those necessary for Epic to keep offering… the Unreal Engine.” Apple’s restriction on the Unreal Engine could have severe financial ramifications for Epic Games, due to how popular iOS is for mobile game development.
In the motion, Epic argues that Apple is “bullying” it, and that the company has “retaliated furiously” by revoking Epic’s platform privileges. It’s a high-stakes legal battle for both companies, though significantly more so for Apple, as a victory for Epic and Fortnite could set a precedent highly damaging to the company, potentially restricting the fee that Apple is able to take from app creators, or lifting the restrictions on third-party monetization on its platform.
To kick off the legal battle, Epic added an option to purchase Fortnite’s V-Bucks directly through Epic to avoid the 30 percent fee Apple takes from transactions on its platform, which numerous companies have decried as an unfair cut. This led to the app’s removal from the platform almost immediately, and Fortnite has since been removed from Google’s Play Store for the same reason.
Since Epic released the Fortnite 1984 short, some have begun to criticize the company, accusing Epic Games of weaponizing its audience for a legal battle. Tim Sweeney has since addressed these criticisms, but it hasn’t been enough to stop them entirely. Given the size of the two companies, it may be a long time before the legal battle has any sort of conclusion. Even then, Epic and Apple’s legal battle will have big ramifications for the games industry, so fans will want to pay close attention to how the situation resolves itself.
Fortnite is available now on PC, PS4, Switch, and Xbox One.
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