Apple threatens to terminate Epic Games’ developer accounts on August 28

Apple plans to terminate Epic Games’ full access to its App Store and app development tool, Epic Games said today. Apple told Epic that until August 28, all access will be terminated.

This includes Epic’s access to the development tools needed to create the Unreal Engine software that Epic offers to third party developers for their games. In response, Epic filed a lawsuit seeking a California court to stop Apple from accessing Epic’s App Store. [PDF] From submission:

It told Epic that on August 28, Apple will cut Epic’s access to all the development tools needed to create software for Apple’s platforms – including the Unreal Engine Epic offer to third-party developers, which Apple has never claimed has violated an Apple policy.

Disabling Epic’s access to tools for Mac and iOS developers could have a significant impact on all apps and games that use Epic’s Unreal Engine. Apple says in its letter to Epic Games that it is announcing the upcoming closure of the account, saying that Epic may prevent its access from being revoked by following Apple’s App Store‌ guidelines. From Apple’s letter to Epic:

In further review of the activity associated with your membership of the Apple Developer Program, we have identified several infringements of the Apple License Program License. Therefore, your Apple Developer Program account will be terminated if the violations described below are not cured within 14 days. […]

Once your membership is terminated, your apps may no longer be submitted to the ‌App Store‌, and your apps that are still available for distribution will be removed. You will also lose access to the following programs, technologies and capabilities:

– All Apple software, SDKs, APIs and developer tools
– Pre-release versions of iOS, iPad OS, macOS, tvOS, watchOS
– Pre-release versions of beta tools like Reality Composer, Create ML, Apple Configurator, etc.
– Notarization service for macOS apps
– ‌App Store‌ Connect platform and support (e.g. account transition assistance, password reset, app name issues)
– TestFlight
– Access to certification portal provisioning portal, and provisioning profile generation
Ability to enable in-app Apple services (ie Apple Pay, CloudKit, PassKit, Music Kit, HomeKit, Push Notifications, Siri hotkeys, Apple Signup, kernel extensions, FairPlay Streaming)
– Access to Apple-issued keys for connecting to services like MusicKit, DeviceCheck, APNs, CloudKit, Wallet
– Access to Developer ID signing certificates and Kernel extension signing certificates
– Developer Technical Support
– Participate in Universal app Quick Launch Program, including the right to use the Developer Transition Kit (which must be returned to Apple)
– Engineering efforts to improve Unreal Engine hardware and software performance on Mac and iOS hardware; Optimize Unreal Engine on Mac for creative workflows, virtual sets and their CI / Build Systems; and adoption and support of ARKit features and future VR features in Unreal Engine by their XR team

We hope you can heal your breaches of the Apple Program License Agreement and continue to participate in the program.

Epic asks the court to prevent Apple from taking “any negative action” about it, including restricting, suspending or terminating Epic’s access to the Apple Developer Program. Epic also claims that the court will restrict Apple from deleting, de-listing, refusing to list or otherwise failing to create the Fortnite app, or modifying the Fortnite code.

The dispute between Apple and Epic began last week when Epic made a calculated decision to defy Apple’s App Store‌ rules and introduce a direct payment option for in-game currency in Fortnite, skipping Apple’s in-app purchase system.

Apple responded quickly by removing the Fortnite app from the ppApp Store‌, prompting Epic Games to file a pre-planned lawsuit against Apple accusing the Cupertino company of a “behemoth trying to control markets, block competition and “innovation” and “anti-competitive constraints” and use of “monopolistic practices in markets” against ‌‌App Store‌‌ developers.

Epic has also released an anti-Apple video based on Apple’s famous 1984 ad, which encourages people to “participate in the fight to stop 1984 from becoming 1984.”

At this time, Fortnite remains unavailable from the ‌App Store‌, and due to court interference as a decision to comply with the rules, all Epic developer accounts will be terminated at the end of the month.