As many of you probably know, Epic Games has been having a fight with Apple in a trial that recently received a ruling, concluding the App Store wasn't a monopoly but Apple should allow links to alternative payment systems for apps. Then, Epic appealed the ruling and now, Apple has banned the Fortnite game from the App Store until the appeal process is concluded, which could take five years, reports the New York Post.
Fortnite banned from the App Store for what could be a 5 years period
If you've been wishing that after the conclusion of the trial the Fornite game to return to iOS and the App Store, unfortunately, this will not happen, as it seems. Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney has published on Twitter the letter the company received from the Cupertino giant. The letter reads that Apple will not reconsider any further requests for reinstatement of the game maker's developer account until the court judgment becomes final and non-appealable. And this process could mean up to 5 years without Fortnite on iOS.
Tim Sweeney stated that from now on, the Fornite game is going to be blacklisted from the App Store for a process that could take 5 years. He also underlined that beforehand, Apple has claimed once the Fornite developers start playing by the rules as everyone else, Cupertino will be welcoming the Fortnite game. He then stated Apple had lied as Epic has agreed to play by the rules.
The letter Epic received from Apple
The letter that Epic Games' CEO published on Twitter from Apple also states that the decision to not reinstate the game and to not reconsider this decision is also based on statements from Epic since the court's decision, coupled with Epic's "duplicitous conduct" in the past. The letter seems final and will not take into account any other requests before the court ruling becomes final.
Epic has been going against Apple's 'anticompetitive conduct', the infamous ''Apple Tax" and even against some Google practices recently
It all started back in the summer of last year when Epic Games' popular game Fornite started including a link to direct payment that would bypass the App Store fees taken on each purchase. This fee is what is infamously called the "Apple Tax" - a 30% taken on each purchase made via the App Store. Of course, bypassing this payment system meant Epic was breaching the terms and conditions of its developer contract with Apple, and not long after that, Apple retaliated.
The Cupertino giant removed the Fortnite game from the App Store and then went on to disable Epic Games' developer account when the company refused to comply with the giant's demands. Epic took things to court and filed a lawsuit against Apple, the 30% commission and the monopoly the App Store executed over developers.
The lawsuit continued until September 10, 2021, when Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers made her decision on it and concluded everything in a 185-page ruling. The Judge basically allowed third-party developers to include links for other purchases systems alongside the App Store payment system. Nevertheless, the Judge deemed Epic has breached its contract with Apple and still had to pay the aforementioned amount of money to Cupertino for the money earned by bypassing the App Store rules.
Epic Games has now paid the $6 million it has gotten over the time it was bypassing the App Store fees (pretty much, the 30% of the revenue it generated for the time the link was available in the Fornite game on iOS) as ordered by the court but has appealed the court's decision. The court's ruling stated that the game maker did breach the terms of the contract with Apple. Alongside that, Epic recently revealed Google has allegedly paid phone manufacturers to not include third-party app stores on their phones.
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Izzy, a tech enthusiast and a key part of the PhoneArena team, specializes in delivering the latest mobile tech news and finding the best tech deals. Her interests extend to cybersecurity, phone design innovations, and camera capabilities. Outside her professional life, Izzy, a literature master's degree holder, enjoys reading, painting, and learning languages. She's also a personal growth advocate, believing in the power of experience and gratitude. Whether it's walking her Chihuahua or singing her heart out, Izzy embraces life with passion and curiosity.
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