Epic Games has filed an injunction to prevent Apple from succeeding in its attempt to block Fortnite from the App Store.
As reported by Reuters, the American company has asked a judge to stop Apple from any further retaliation against its battle royale. This all started when Epic created a new payment option which essentially cut out the iOS creator, preventing it from collecting the standard 30 per cent commission it has for the App Store, leading Apple to remove Fortnite from the store – a move that was mirrored by Google.
However, now Epic CEO Tim Sweeney has stated that Apple's reaction will wreck Fortnite for its millions of mobile players, due to users being unable to update the game.
"Apple's actions will 'break' Fortnite for millions of existing players. Because iOS users can no longer update the game, they will be unable to play Fortnite with most other players, who will have the then-current version available on other platforms," said Sweeney.
Chain reaction
Not only has Fortnite been affected by the ongoing beef between the two giant companies, but Apple also has the power to prevent iOS and Mac developers from using tools created by Epic. Namely, the Unreal Engine which supports hundreds of games, one such title is PUBG Mobile which boasts millions upon millions of players.
As such, in its injunction, Epic has asked the judge to prevent Apple from taking such measures, explaining that many will be affected by the decision, and not just the Fortnite creator itself.
"The effects will reverberate well beyond video games; it will affect developers who use the Unreal Engine on Apple products in many fields. The ensuing impact on the Unreal Engine's viability and the trust and confidence developers have in that engine, cannot be repaired with a monetary award," said Epic.
Apple removed Fortnite from the App Store and has informed Epic that on Friday, August 28 Apple will terminate all our developer accounts and cut Epic off from iOS and Mac development tools. We are asking the court to stop this retaliation. Details here: https://t.co/3br1EHmyd8
— Epic Games Newsroom (@EpicNewsroom) August 17, 2020
An easy remedy
Apple has since responded to the concerns and complaints voiced by Epic, and in the tech giant's mind, there is a simple solution: release an update that removes the new payment option that caused the fallout.
In a new statement – via The Verge – Apple has claimed that "Epic has been one of the most successful developers on the App Store, growing into a multibillion-dollar business that reaches millions of iOS customers around the world."
As such, the iOS creator has acknowledged that it would like to keep Epic's apps on its storefront and allow the company to be part of the Apple Developer Programme.
"The problem Epic has created for itself is one that can easily be remedied if they submit an update of their app that reverts it to comply with the guidelines they agreed to and which apply to all developers. We won't make an exception for Epic because we don't think it's right to put their business interests ahead of the guidelines that protect our customers," said Apple.
