Epic Games, the developer of the widely popular game, Fortnite, is learning what it means to go up against the tech giant that is Apple. After the games development wing filed a suit against Apple, the tech company retaliated with a crushing blow. Later this month, Fortnite will no longer have any access to iOS development tools.
This latest action is just one in a protracted conflict between the two companies that began on August 13th. It was then that Fortnite was officially removed from both the App Store and from Google Play. Epic Games had been offering an in-game discount on currency that proved to circumvent both of the app distributor’s own in-app fees levied on additional purchases.
However, Epic Games was prepared for Apple’s move, as within a few hours after Fortnite being removed from the App Store, Epic had a little surprise of their own. The companies development team was quick to publish an in-game video that proceeded to spoof the iconic 1984 ad of Apple’s. In the video, Epic made it clear that the Apple of today had lost its direction and had, as a result, become the evil, faceless tech giant that the tech company itself had initially vowed to destroy.
It wasn’t long after that that Epic Games had filed an antitrust suit against Apple, Inc. Then, shortly after that suit was filed, Fortnite was removed from Google Play Store, after which, again, Epic filed yet another lawsuit –this time against Google. It seems, though, that Epic Games may have more of a fight on their hands than they originally planned, as it is being reported that Apple is not showing any sign of backing down.
A post on the Twitter account of Epic Games Newsroom earlier today claimed that Apple was upping the ante in this ongoing battle of wills. On August 28th, Apple would officially terminate any and all of the development accounts of Epic Games, as well as sever all access to the development tools of both IOS and Mac. In a nutshell, this will altogether remove any possible access to any type of content by Epic appearing on all IOS devices. Epic answered this move with the filing of additional legal documents aimed at preventing Apple from carrying out their plan.
While at first, it seemed that fans of the game were behind the developer at the onset, now it would appear, after this latest announcement, that their support is somewhat fading. Many users of the game are taking to Twitter and are saying that Epic overreacted to the hand slapping they received for knowingly violating the terms and conditions agreement they had to accept when joining the App Store. Epic’s response to this is that Apple has always had what they considered too strict of terms.
Epic also claims that Apple has a monopoly that is unlawful over the entire iOS space, which Epic feels is harmful, given how widely used mobile phones and devices are in today’s society—making iOS what Epic terms as an essential facility. With Apple cutting all ties with Epic Games, the developer states that Apple is, in essence, denying the developer the much-needed access to that facility.