Following weeks of legal drama revolving aroundFortnite’s payment system, Apple has filed a counter-lawsuit against Epic Games.The developer sued Applein August after the tech giant removedFortnitefrom its App Store.
Apple and Epic Games have been embroiled in an ongoing legal battle since August. The fight began when Epic Games attempted to bypass Apple’s cut of in-app purchases by introducing a new way for players to purchase V-Bucks,Fornite’s in-game currency. The new method allowed players to make purchases directly through Epic Games, which lowered costs but completely cut out Apple, which usually takes 30% of all in-app purchases.
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Apple responded bypullingFortnitefrom the app storeand threatening to take away Epic Games’ Mac and IOS developer tools, including support for Unreal Engine. The move was a blow to Epic Games, which has earned more than $600 million fromFortnite-related app purchases in Apple’s app store. Epic Games then filed a lawsuit against Apple and accused the tech giant of monopolistic practices. The developer filed a similar suit against Google, which also removedFortnitefrom its app store.
Now Apple is again firing back, this time with a suit of its own. In the suit, which was filed September 8, Apple defended pullingFortnitefrom the App Store and attacked Epic Games’ business practices.
“Epic’s lawsuit is nothing more than a basic disagreement over money,” Apple said in court documents. “Although Epic portrays itself as a modern corporate Robin Hood, in reality it is a multi-billion dollar enterprise that simply wants to pay nothing for the tremendous value it derives from the App Store.” The suit also continues Apple’s assertion thatEpic Games sought a “special deal” forFortnite. The company also likened Epic Game’s strategy to bypass Apple’s payment system to “little more than theft.”
Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney had already respondedto Apple’s allegations that the developer pursued a special deal forFortnite. He called the assertion misleading and took to Twitter to share the same emails that Apple cited in its filling. In the email, Epic Games said, “We hope that Apple will also make these options equally available to all iOS developers.” Sweeney said this is evidence that the developer requested that Apple change its app store rules for all IOS developers, not just Epic Games.
The result of the suit seems to hinge on Epic Games’ ability to prove that Apple is engaging in monopolistic behavior. Conversely, Apple will likely focus on arguing that Epic Games is acting in its own-self-interest at Apple’s expense. Both parties have made clear their commitment to the legal fight, and both have the money to drag the conflict out for the foreseeable future.
Fortniteis available now on Mobile, PC, PS4, Switch, and Xbox One.
