Why did Apple ban Fortnite? Epic Games vs Apple App Store controversy explained

Epic Games has evidently conquered the battle royale game market with Fortnite, which attracts millions of players from all over the world in ranging platforms like PC, consoles and mobile. As of now, Epic Games and Apple have gotten into a public battle after the latter banned the former's game from its App Store platform.

Apple has stated that Fortnite/Epic Games have bypassed the guidelines set by its App Store. Read below to know the brewing controversy which has now garnered mainstream traction.

Also read: Fortnite banned from Apple and Google over violation of important policies

Why did Apple ban Fortnite?

It all started when Fortnite introduced permanently 20 per cent cheaper V-Bucks on their game. V-Bucks are the main-game currency used in Fortnite. Though the discounted prices for V-Bucks reflected upon Fortnite in the PC and consoles version, mobile players did not witness the change. Thus, Epic Games addressed them to use Fortnite's independent payment method, which didn't sit well with Apple, who usually charges 30% per transaction done through the App Store. 

Also read: Epic Games Vs Apple: Why is Fortnite developer company mocking Apple's '1984'?

Apple then banned Fortnite from its portal altogether and issues a statement writing that Epid violated the App Store's guidelines. The independent payment method introduced by Fortnite was not reviewed or approved by Apple, and the company believes it was done with the intent of violating App Store guidelines. Epic has now launched a campaign and sued Apple claiming that they are trying to build a monopoly in the software marketplace. 

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

Epic Games recently released a  video that was a parody of Apple's infamous '1984' video and issued a note at the end of it writing - 'Epic Games has defied the App Store monopoly. In retaliation, Apple is blocking Fortnite from a billion devices. Join the fight to stop 2020 from becoming '1984'. Besides this, Epic has also sued Apple with a 65-page long complaint which is public data for interested people to access. In the complaint, Epic has stated that Apple's reach exceeds further than any technological monopoly in history. Check out excerpts of the complaint below - 

Apple has become what it once railed against: the behemoth seeking to control markets, block competition, and stifle innovation. Apple is bigger, more powerful, more entrenched, and more pernicious than the monopolists of yesteryear. At a market cap of nearly $2 trillion, Apple’s size and reach far exceeds that of any technology monopolist in history.

Also read: Fortnite fans want Epic Games to ban player Bugha for apparently cheating during FNCS

Image courtesy - still from Nineteen Eighty-Fortnite - #FreeFortnite