Epic says Apple threatens to wipe out all iOS and Mac developer tools in retaliation for sneaking a new payment option into Fortnite last week – a stunt that ended in the app was banned from the App Store and Epic filed an anti-lawsuit for blockbuster against Apple, claiming that it places illegal restrictions on the distribution of iOS apps.
Apple will end Epic’s inclusion in the Apple Developer Program, a membership required to distribute apps on iOS devices or use Apple’s developer tools, if the company does not cure ‘your infringements’ of the agreement within two weeks , according to a letter from Apple that was shared by Epic. Epic also cannot notarize Mac apps, a process that can make installing Epic’s software more difficult than blocking it altogether. Apple requires that all apps be notarized before they can run on newer versions of macOS, even if they are distributed outside the App Store.
Epic has filed for a lawsuit against Apple, the court asked to stop the company from cutting. Epic says it will be “irreversibly damaged before the final verdict arrives” if it does not receive the order. “Apple’s actions will irreparably damage Epic’s reputation among Fortnite users and be catastrophic for the future of the separate Unreal Engine company,” Epic writes. Epic asked for it too Fortnite – with its lower prices and alternative payment option – will be returned in the App Store.
Apple declined to comment on the motion. A company spokesman pointed to a statement released by Apple last week, saying that Epic “took the unfortunate step of breaking the App Store guidelines” and that it “would do everything in its power to work with Epic to to resolve these offenses. “
Cutting Epic out of the development program completely would be a major escalation in an all too high strike. The development program is the gateway to publishing apps on Apple’s platforms, and the ubiquity of Epic’s Unreal Engine could lead to issues that go far beyond Epic itself. The Unreal Engine is a very popular free-to-start game engine that is widely used by developers – many games in Apple’s own Apple Arcade subscription service rely on the Unreal Engine, and theoretically the developers would have trouble getting new iOS games build or make updates as Apple cuts out access to the software.
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