Epic Games marches “On to Cupertino” after court win against Google

Epic Games got their Christmas gift two weeks earlier, after defeating Google in a court battle on December 11 and the jury declaring the Mountain View company a monopoly.

Now, Epic Games CEO says that Apple is next. Moments after a federal jury decided that some of Google’s actions violated U.S. competition law, Tim Sweeney posted on X/Twitter this: “Thanks! On to Cupertino.”


In another post, Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney said an appeal to its case against Apple is in the works (via Android Headlines). An appeal is “in the queue for the Supreme Court to consider hearing,” Sweeney clarified:


Of course, the battle with Google is not at all done, with Google confirming that it will appeal the verdict. Judge James Donato will have to decide on what Google’s remedy terms are. The appeal is supposed to begin in January 2024 – an act that could easily move any final rulings to the spring/summer of 2025, judging by the tempo in the other Epic court battle, the one against Apple.

Given the fact that total billings and sales in the App Store ecosystem in 2022 generated $1.1 trillion, it’s easy to understand why any legal matter regarding the App Store ecosystem is vital to Apple.

In 2020, players of the ultra-popular game Fortnite discovered that they could make in-app purchases, like digital coins (used in the game), at a lower price than usual via an external method, bypassing Apple’s payment system and avoiding the 30% tax that inflates the total sum.

Apple immediately shut down Fortnite and removed it from the App Store, and Epic Media filed a lawsuit. The game developers argued that the company is a monopoly and induces anti-competitive practices. The rest is (court) history.