And this is surely only the beginning of a protracted legal battle. And now Apple is firing back with a lawsuit of its own.Īt a hearing scheduled for September 28, a judge will decide whether or not Epic will get a preliminary injunction that will force Apple to let Fortnite back into the App Store. Epic responded with a lawsuit, joining an ever-louder chorus of developers and legislators who have accused the App Store of monopolistic practices, given its total control over the apps offered on its devices. When Epic attempted to get around this by offering customers the option of purchasing Fortnite currency directly from Epic at a discount, Apple kicked Fortnite out of the store for violating its terms of service. As a “freemium” game, Fortnite makes all of its money through in-app purchases of its virtual currency, and Apple gets a cut of that. For its part, Apple has said that Fortnite will be allowed back into the App Store if and when it follows the store’s terms and conditions.Īs Recode’s Peter Kafka explained, apps on Apple mobile devices have to go through the company’s App Store, which charges a 30 percent commission for app purchases as well as any purchases made within the app itself.
#UPDATES TO FORTNITE FOR MAC UPDATE#
It also means they can only play other Apple users who are also stuck in Season 3, as the rest of the Fortnite community update to the new season. So the game remains banned, leaving iOS and macOS players unable to update their apps to the just-released Season 4. While a court granted Epic’s request for a temporary restraining order that prevented Apple from doing so until a hearing next month, it would not force Apple to restore Fortnite to the App Store. Apple also wanted to cut off Epic’s access to its developer tools program, which would have affected any apps that use Epic’s Unreal Engine. On September 8, Apple filed its response, and asked a federal judge to award it damages.Īpple, a $2 trillion company, has not only refused to consider changing its lucrative business model, but it also kicked Fortnite out of the App Store.
Epic says that Apple’s requirement that all mobile apps come through its App Store (and the 30 percent commission Apple charges for app sales and in-app purchases) is a monopoly, and that Epic - as well as its fellow developers and their customers - should have alternatives. Fortnite’s Apple user base is the newest casualty in a years-long antitrust battle between developers and one of the world’s richest companies.Įpic Games sued Apple in mid-August, claiming that the company’s App Store practices violate the Sherman Act. But this struggle is bigger than one update, one game, or even one company. Fortnite has released its latest season, but millions of its players won’t be able to enjoy it: The game has been pulled from Apple’s App Store, leaving iOS and macOS users unable to update to the highly anticipated Season 4.
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