Amber Neely
Epic Games on Monday said Apple is threatening to terminate its developer account, a move that would cut it off from iOS and macOS development tools.
Epic informed the public of the upcoming termination over Twitter, stating that it is requesting a temporary restraining order to prevent Apple from taking "any adverse action against it."
The restraining order against Apple's actions also asks that the court prevent Apple from "removing, de-listing, refusing to list or otherwise making unavailable the app Fortnite, including any update thereof, from the App Store on the basis that Fortnite offers in-app payment processing through means other than Apple's IAP or on any pretextual basis."
Apple removed Fortnite from the App Store and has informed Epic that on Friday, August 28 Apple will terminate all our developer accounts and cut Epic off from iOS and Mac development tools. We are asking the court to stop this retaliation. Details here: https://t.co/3br1EHmyd8
— Epic Games Newsroom (@EpicNewsroom) August 17, 2020
Apple's letter to Epic, which is included in the court filing, leads with:
"Upon further review of the activity associated with your Apple Developer Program membership, we have identified several violations of the Apple Developer Program License Agreement. Therefore, your Apple Developer Program account will be terminated if the violations set forth below are not cured within 14 days."
As part of the removal, Apple is stripping Epic of access to software development tools, effectively neutering the company's Unreal Engine and with it hundreds of iOS and Mac apps. Epic in its filing claims the software, which is licensed to third-party developers, did not violate Apple policy.
"Apple is attacking Epic's entire business in unrelated areas," Epic said in its lawsuit.
The current fight between the two behemoths started on Aug. 14, when Epic instated "direct payments" for the massively popular game Fortnite, effectively sidestepping Apple's 30% commission on digital goods.
Less than eight hours later, Apple removed Fortnite from the App Store, saying that Epic had violated Apple's decade-old App Store terms and conditions.
Epic, anticipating the move, responded with a lawsuit alleging Apple has become a "behemoth seeking to control markets, block competition and stifle innovation," and claims that the company's size and reach "far exceeds that of any technology monopolist in history."
Epic has long been critical of Apple's 30% digital commission fee, with CEO Tim Sweeney calling it an "absolute monopoly" in July.
Companies like Epic and Apple Music rival Spotify are not the only ones concerned about Apple's App Store practices. The U.S. Department of Justice and state attorneys general begun launching an antitrust investigation into Apple's App Store after developers continue to raise concerns over anticompetitive behavior.
William Gallagher
Christine McKee
AppleInsider Staff
Chip Loder
Malcolm Owen
111 Comments
You play with fire, you're gonna get burnt.
Lol good. Don’t want their crappy games in the App Store anyway. I’m sorry, but those App Store rules are in place for a reason - to protect our way of life. If any of you have seen the mess that is the google play store, you will know what I mean...
Don’t like the rules Epic? Go somewhere else.
Well, if you act like and epic idiot and decide to unilaterally break an agreement you agreed to and then sue if the other party applies the rules mentioned in that agreement... Just wait until they revoke the certificates associated with your game. POOF.
The arrogance of Epic Games in this situation is deplorable.
They want to use Apple's IP. In order to legally do that, they need Apple to license them the right to do so. Apple has been willing to do that, just as it has been willing to license that right to others. But in return developers have to - and should have to - agree to Apple's terms which are, all things considered, pretty reasonable. Apple built something incredible and brings a lot of value to developers - IP, access to an incredible user base, an effective stamp-of-approval from a very trusted gatekeeper, convenient payment mechanism. What it asks in return is, I think, pretty modest.
Developers are very important to the iOS ecosystem and should be able to make money from their apps or, if they don't directly monetize their apps, provide better service to their customers through their iOS apps. But what Apple brings is very important as well, and it deserves to make money off of what it built, the services it provides, and its IP. If you don't want to agree to Apple's reasonable terms, then you shouldn't get to use Apple's IP or its App Store. Does Epic Games think that others should be allowed to use its IP without having to agree to the terms which Epic Games might impose?
I believe besides IOS and Android platforms; others(Microsoft XBOX,Sony PlayStation,Nintendo,etc) charges similar 30% to Epic than what seems a problem with Apple ?