Fortnite is no longer available in the Apple App Store and Google Play Store after Apple legally claimed violation of its developer program license agreement.
The court filing happened on August 17, 2020, resulting in Epic losing its membership and removed from the program within 14 days.
Epic is accusing Apple of a tyrannical commission set at 30 percent of all payments made by apps in the iOS Eco-system. The Verge reported Epic filed a lawsuit last week leading to Apple threatening Epic’s right to distribute tools for developers.
The House Judiciary Committee held a tech antitrust hearing in July and questioned Apple’s CEO, Tim Cook.
The Committee raised concerns about the policies of the App Store allowing Amazon Prime video rentals to hedge the commission. Epic avoided paying Apple’s standard commission rate using its own in-app payment system for gamers in the Fortnite app.
Apple claims Epic tried to attract users by soliciting a 20 percent discount on all virtual purchases processed on Android and iOS.
The lawsuits between Apple and Epic are intensely affecting iOS developers.
The order request to Epic is to remove their in-app payment system or the App Store will refuse submission of apps from the game developer and revoke access to development tools.
It will affect game developers gaining access to APIs, iOS SDKs, and previous versions of operating systems. Apple’s threat will make it impossible for Epic to continue engine development on iOS and macOS devices.
Epic claims in the lawsuit that third-party developers relying on Unreal Engine for powering software on devices made by Apple will have no need for its use.
Since 2014, Epic released over 20 updates to Unreal Engine. The updates are necessary for ensuring compatibility with future versions of Apple OS.
Epic is planning to file a restraining order with the court to stop Apple from discontinuing the Fortnite app, updates, and revoking access to developer tools.
Apple has no problems with Epic returning to the App Store with the Fortnite app. The tech giant is requesting the company to follow the guidelines and pay the 30 percent commission rate per the agreement.
