The legal battle between Apple and Epic worsened significantly over the weekend. What started as an argument over Epic Games that wanted to effectively charge players for in-game items for its hit game Fortnite, instead of using Apple's payment system and the up to 30 percent commission it charges, has started to turn into a fight that threatens to update game development across the industry.
Since Apple removed Fortnite and its more than 250 million players from the app store last week, Epic said in a court filing on Monday that the Apple is now threatening to ban the Unreal Engine code it presents to developers outside the game to help them make their own games.
Apple-Epic Clash; Fortnite removed from the Apple Store
"Not content just to delete Fortnite from the App Store, Apple is targeting the entire business of Epic in unrelated areas," Epic said in its filing, adding that Apple is setting an Aug. 28 deadline. "If the Unreal Engine can no longer support Apple platforms, it will force the software developers who use it to use alternatives."
Epic is in a similar lawsuit against Google, which on Thursday also kicked Fortnite off its app store for trying to bypass its commissioned payment system.
Apple noted in a statement late Monday that Epic has been one of the App Store's most successful developers, and is keen to keep it on service. However, Apple said that Epic will need to return Fortnite to an earlier version of the game in order to "comply with the standards that they committed to and extend to all developers," including how Epic raises money from players.
"We 're not going to make an exception for Epic because we don't think it's fair to place their business interests forward with the guidelines that secure our customers," a spokeswoman from Apple added.
Despite the antics, Epic argues its push to charge customers for in-game items directly in Fortnite, which is an attempt to loosen Apple 's grip on its app store and the more than 1 billion devices that are using it. Now, with Apple 's threat of targeting developers outside of the app who use Epic's Unreal Engine, Epic claims the iPhone maker is also attacking its business model.
Meanwhile, Apple claims its fees of up to 30% are fair relative to its rivals, and has recruited a team of international economists to prove it. Apple has also argued that the commissions it charges for in-app purchases partially help pay for the operations and further development of the app store.
The notable exception to its peer list is Epic, which charges 12 per cent to developers selling titles for PCs on their Epic Games Store.
Apple only allows users to install apps from its app store, citing each app's security and reliability testing that ensures they are safe. Devices powered by Google's Android software can use the app store of Google, but the company also offers a way to install Fortnite manually without having to go through the app store. People who have installed Fortnite on their iPhones , iPads and other devices before the app was already banned can continue playing the game now on.
Epic on Monday sought a temporary injunction from the court in their pending legal dispute with Apple, effectively allowing Fortnite to return to the app store before the case is resolved. According to court records, Apple does not seem to have filed a response until now.
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