A legal battle has started between tech giants Apple and Epic Games after Apple removed Fortnite after it violated their terms of service. Epic Games has officially sued Apple for monopolistic practices and citing that it does not want any money but only want Apple to stop with its monopolistic practices. Apple removed Fortnite after Epic Games launched its own in-app payment system that bypassed Apple’s 30% fee.
Epic Games did not just stop at the lawsuit but it also released a protest video on YouTube as well in the game that made fun of Apple’s famous ‘1984’ ad and the new hashtag #FreeFortnite on Twitter. Epic Games has certainly called for the support of its fans as well in its fight against Apple. According to their official statement given to The Verge, Apple states that they will work with Epic Games to resolve the violations but no special arrangement will be made for the company as they follow the same rules for every developer.
Epic Games has filed legal papers in response to Apple, read more here: https://t.co/c4sgvxQUvb
— Fortnite (@FortniteGame) August 13, 2020
Their full statement states:
Today, Epic Games took the unfortunate step of violating the App Store guidelines that are applied equally to every developer and designed to keep the store safe for our users. As a result their Fortnite app has been removed from the store. Epic enabled a feature in its app which was not reviewed or approved by Apple, and they did so with the express intent of violating the App Store guidelines regarding in-app payments that apply to every developer who sells digital goods or services.
Epic has had apps on the App Store for a decade, and have benefited from the App Store ecosystem – including its tools, testing, and distribution that Apple provides to all developers. Epic agreed to the App Store terms and guidelines freely and we’re glad they’ve built such a successful business on the App Store. The fact that their business interests now lead them to push for a special arrangement does not change the fact that these guidelines create a level playing field for all developers and make the store safe for all users. We will make every effort to work with Epic to resolve these violations so they can return Fortnite to the App Store.
However, the App Store is not the only platform from where Fortnite has been removed. As of now, Fortnite has also been removed from Google Play but the game remains available on Android as the developer has its own launcher for Android devices which can be download from any browser on the devices. Further details will unravel soon as Fortnite currently remains unavailable at both Google Play and App Store for violating their terms and conditions.
Fortnite is currently unavailable on Google Play. More information will be forthcoming soon.
— Fortnite (@FortniteGame) August 14, 2020
What do you think about Epic Games suing Apple for the removal of Fortnite from App Stores? Let us know in the comments section below.
