Professional esports and streaming consultant Rod Breslau explains the motive behind Epic Games’ lawsuit against Apple, saying they have a chance to win.
The dispute between Apple and the maker of the popular video game Fortnite over in-app purchase rules continued Sunday with Fortnite hosting a free online competition, billed as the last time gamers can play together across all platforms.
The #FreeFortnite Cup was scheduled two days after Apple on Friday asked a federal judge in California to deny a request from Fortnite maker Epic Games to return the game to the App Store.
Apple removed Fortnite from the App Store on its iOS and iPadOS operating systems earlier this month after Epic Games “secretly” installed a “hotfix” in its app to bypass the Apple payment system.
FORTNITE APP REMOVAL THREATENS SOCIAL LIFELINE FOR YOUNG GAMERS
“Epic was fully aware that, by reversing Apple’s lawsuits and breaching its contracts, it was seriously jeopardizing its entire relationship with Apple – including its Unreal Engine and other projects,” Apple wrote in its submission. U.S. District Court in Northern California. “Epic took the calculated decision to break in any case, and then went to this Court to argue that its customers were compromised.”
Apple and Google are both taking a 30% cut from in-app purchases in games, which a developer already has quite a place to go. Epic Games filed a lawsuit against Apple, claiming that it violated anti-trust laws, according to Reuters, but Apple withdrew Friday, claiming that Epic CEO Tim Sweeney had asked for special treatment.
The submission produced three emails in which Sweeney asked Apple for a “side letter” special deal to arrange Epic for in-app purchases and Fortnite players to pay it directly, as well as permission to buy a “competing” third-party app launch store for iPhones.
HOW FULL IS THE ‘FORTNITE’ FRANCHISE WORTH?
“If developers can avoid digital checkout, it’s the same as if a customer leaves an Apple store without paying for in-store products: Apple gets no payment,” Apple said in its submission.
“Over time, Epic grew, in part because of the opportunities offered by Apple, into a multi-billion dollar company with large investors such as the Chinese tech giant Tencent who invested hundreds of millions of dollars in it. company smitten, “Apple continued. “Now, deciding that she would rather enjoy the benefits of the App Store without paying for it, Epic has broken its contracts with Apple, and used its own customers and Apple users as leverage.”
Sweeney took to his Twitter account Friday to oppose the submission, claiming that Apple’s claims were “misleading” and he had written to Apple to “make these options available to all iOS developers at once.”
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APPLE AND GOOGLE GO TO WAR WITH EPIC GAMES OVER FORTNITE
Fortnite is free, but users can pay for in-game offers such as weapons and outfits.
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Epic launches the #FreeFortnite campaign in an attempt to paint Apple in a negative light and plans to launch a new short film called “Nineteen Eighty-Fortnite,” an apparent parody of Apple’s iconic “1984” commercial that Macintosh computer introduced.
Apple also plans to terminate Epic Games’ developer accounts and remove the company from iOS and Mac tools on August 28, Epic said.
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The Associated Press contributed to this report.
