The Epic vs Apple debacle is getting more and more complicated. Now, Epic Games asks the courts to stop Apple’s “retaliation” against their Fortnite for iOS.
In the developing story of Epic vs Apple, Epic Games filed a court motion this Friday. The company is requesting an injunction, asking to restore Fortnite in the iOS App Store. The documents reveal that, since its removal, daily iOS Fornite players are down 60%.
Epic files request for injunction
Epic Games calls the request for injunction a way to “stop Apple’s retaliation against Epic for daring to challenge its unlawful restrictions while our antitrust case proceeds.”
Today we asked the Court to stop Apple’s retaliation against Epic for daring to challenge its unlawful restrictions while our antitrust case proceeds. This is a necessary step to free consumers and developers from Apple’s costly, anti-competitive control. https://t.co/r2XxhitjMp
— Epic Games Newsroom (@EpicNewsroom) September 5, 2020
The company also released the documents on Twitter through their newsroom account. The motion to preliminary injunction follows the recent ruling from the courts.
In it, the courts prevented Apple from disabling Unreal Engine from the iOS. Even then, the courts still allowed Apple to keep Fortnite removed from the App Store.
The new motion asks the court to grant their request now rather than later. Furthermore, Epic notes that their anti-monopoly case against Apple is very strong and likely to succeed.
“Apple is a monopolist. It controls all app distribution on iOS. It controls all in-app payment processing for digital content on iOS,” said Epic’s motion.
“It unlawfully maintains these two monopolies by explicitly prohibiting any competitive entry in either market. It is highly likely to lose this case.”
“On this motion, however, all Epic seeks is for the Court to stop Apple from retaliating against Epic for daring to challenge Apple’s misconduct. As set out in more detail in the complaint, on August 13, 2020, Epic ceased complying with one of Apple’s anti-competitive rules: it offered players of its popular game, Fortnite, the option of lower prices on in-app purchases using a competing payment processor. This was a necessary first step on the long road to freeing consumers and developers from Apple’s decade-long monopolistic grip over app distribution and in-app payment processing on iOS.”
Fortnite is bleeding players due to lawsuit
The Epic vs Apple court drama is making Fortnite bleed out. So far, the filing cites that iOS is the biggest platform for their game. 116 million out of their 350 million users come from iOS.
Epic notes that they are losing well over 63% in player attendance every day. They say they have worries that the players may lose interest over the game. They note that their community might be “torn apart.”
In a statement, Apple harkened back to their previous comments. They note that they are “disappointed” in having to terminate Epic’s account.
“We are disappointed that we have had to terminate the Epic Games account on the App Store. We have worked with the team at Epic Games for many years on their launches and releases. The court recommended that Epic comply with the App Store guidelines while their case moves forward, guidelines they’ve followed for the past decade until they created this situation. Epic has refused. Instead they repeatedly submit Fortnite updates designed to violate the guidelines of the App Store. This is not fair to all other developers on the App Store and is putting customers in the middle of their fight. We hope that we can work together again in the future, but unfortunately that is not possible today.”
The Epic vs Apple drama is developing more as the months go by. Apple and Google originally removed Fortnite after Epic bypassed the App Store cuts. Subsequently, Epic fired back with a lawsuit, together with a parody of Apple’s 1984 ad.
Featured image courtesy of Fortnite/YouTube Screenshot