On Tuesday, Apple fired back at Fortnite creator Epic Games Inc. with a counter-lawsuit accusing the software developer of greed and dishonesty.
Apple has asked federal judges in California to award punitive damages and to prohibit Epic Games. Inc. from practicing what it claims to be unfair business practices.
Apple defended its actions by citing:
“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.”
Court documents, WSJ
Apple’s counter-lawsuit is another episode in the ongoing battle between Apple and Epic Games Inc.
The situation began in early August when Epic sent an update to their wildly popular game Fortnite on Apple and Android’s App Store which allowed players to bypass Apple’s review process and payment system.
Epic Games Inc.’s action was a response to its frustration over Apple receiving a 30% cut of user’s spending, a policy that the company called “monopolistic.”
Apple and Google quickly pulled Fortnite out of their app stores for violating their terms of agreement.
In the latest battle, Apple painted Epic Games Inc. as being purely motivated by money and wanted nothing more than “…to enjoy all the of the benefits of Apple’s iOS platform and related services while [Epic lined its pockets] at Apple’s expense.”
Apple also defended its policy by claiming that the 30% cut is used to help fund the Store’s privacy and security so that users can download third-party apps safely.
It’s not yet certain which company will win the lawsuit, but what’s certain is that Epic is losing day by day.
Fortnite players on Apple’s iOS system represents the largest segment of users for the popular game, about 350 million.
Since the start of the dispute, daily users have plummeted and its reputation has been tarnished.
In a plead with Apple, Epic has asked the company to reinstate Fortnite back into its App Store.
Apple responded cordially to Epic’s demand, as long as the company agrees to go back to the 30% cut deal.
Originally published at http://yourapplenews.com on September 9, 2020.
