'Fortnite' maker Epic Games sues Apple for removal of game from App Store

Soon after Apple removed the popular video game 'Fortnite' from its App Store for violating the company’s 'in-app payment guidelines' on Thursday, the makers 'Epic Games' went on to file a federal lawsuit challenging the iPhone maker’s rules. The giant tech cited that Fortnite app violated its guidelines announcing a way for players to buy in-game currency without using Apple's proprietary payment systems.

Apple is more pernicious than the monopolists of yesteryear

Epic's in its lawsuit filed in the US District Court for the Northern District of California stated that Apple has become what it once railed against the behemoth seeking to control markets, stifle innovation, and block competition. Apple is bigger, more entrenched, more powerful, and more pernicious than the monopolists of yesteryear, Epic's lawsuit further said. Epic is seeking no money from Apple but rather an injunction that would end many of the company’s practices related to the App Store, the only way to distribute original software onto most iPhones.

Attacking Apple over the social media, Epic launched a campaign with the hashtag '#FreeFortnite', urging players to ask refunds from Apple if they lose access to the game. It also created a parody of Apple's famous "1984" television ad casting Apple in the role of villain.

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Apple issues statement

Apple in a statement said Fortnite had been removed because Epic had launched the payment feature with the 'express intent of violating the App Store guidelines' after having had apps in the store for a decade. The statement by the tech giant said the fact that Epic business interests now lead them to push for a special arrangement does not change the fact that these guidelines create a level playing field for all developers and make the store safe for all users.

Meanwhile, Apple takes a cut of between 15 percent and 30 percent or most app subscriptions and payments made inside apps, though there are some exceptions for companies that already have a credit card on file for iPhone customers if they also offer an in-app payment that would benefit Apple. 

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Epic’s lawsuit, however, argues that app distribution and in-app payments for Apple devices constitute their own distinct market for anti-competition purposes because Apple users rarely leave its sticky ecosystem, according to Epic’s filing. Fortnite gained a lot of popularity among young gamers eversince its launch in 2017. It competes with Tencent Holdings’ Player Unknown’s Battlegrounds. The removal of the videogame from the App Store means that new players will not be able to download it and that exiting players will not receive updates, however the game should continue to work on devices where it is already installed.

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