Epic Games wants to make it almost impossible for Apple to forbid the inclusion of the game Fortnite into the App Store. The case was further proved in a late filing in which the company sought an order from Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers compelling Apple to accept any valid version of Fortnite for listing in the U.S. App Store.
The legal battle between Epic and Apple has been going on for several years, chiefly regarding commission fees that Apple charges on in-app purchases. Epic achieved a big legal win last month when Judge Gonzalez Rogers stated that Apple was in willful violation of an injunction concerning anti-competitive pricing. This decision, in essence, opened up a pathway for the reinstatement of Fortnite into the App Store and allowed developers to show alternative payment methods inside their apps.
Still, Apple has announced that it will appeal this ruling. Recently, Epic disclosed that Apple has been blocking Fortnite’s availability on the U.S. App Store as well as the launch of the game on the Epic Games Store in Europe, stating, “Now, sadly, Fortnite on iOS will be offline worldwide until Apple unblocks it.”
Apple contested this portrayal, with particular regard to the implication that the company had been blocking Fortnite outside of the U.S. In an attempt to keep the availability of Fortnite in other regions unaffected, Apple claims to have advised Epic Sweden to consider submitting an app update without the U.S. App Store portion. Check out GetAssist’s step-by-step guide on how to update apps on iPhone.
Epic’s court filing states Apple’s denial of Epic to enjoy the benefits from the pro-competitive arrangements it has helped to put in place is effectively punishing Epic by shutting it out of the very market it has strived so hard to open, while simultaneously approaching other developers with a clear warning against challenging Apple’s unfair practices.
