[ad_1]
The real battle between Epic Games and Apple is far from over.
The ongoing debate on whether Fortnite, the popular video game, will be allowed to return to the App Store and will not receive a response anytime soon. According to Mac Rumors, a California judge on Friday denied a request by Epic Games for a temporary injunction against Apple. If granted, it would have forced Apple to stop Fortnite back on the application distribution platform while the case was being heard.
“Epic Games cannot simply exclaim ‘monopoly’ to rewrite agreements giving itself a unilateral benefit,” reads the order of US District Judge Yvonne González Rogers, in part, cited by Mac Rumors.
Unless something radical happens, this means Fortnite will remain out of the App Store until some kind of agreement is reached or the case is resolved. Either way, it’s likely a while, especially considering the fact that, as Mac Rumors points out, Apple and Epic Games won’t be going back to court until May 2021.
Apple kicked first Fortnite It left the App Store in August after the game’s creator, Epic Games, decided to circumvent Apple’s policy on in-game purchases. Essentially, Apple wanted its contractually agreed sales cut, and Epic Games was sick of shelling out the money.
So, Epic Games decided to give Fortnite Players have the option of purchasing their in-game currency, V-bucks, at a discount. The problem, of course, was that to get the discount, players would have to buy directly from Epic Games, essentially removing Apple from the equation.
In a statement provided to Bloomberg, Apple expressed its gratitude for the judge’s decision.
“We are grateful that the court has recognized that Epic’s actions were not in the best interest of its own clients and that any problems they may have encountered were created by themselves when they violated their agreement,” the statement read.
Notably, Fortnite it is a multiplatform game. In other words, players can access it in other places than on iOS devices. Still, Google kicked it out of the Play Store as well, but Microsoft has been playing Epic well and supporting their fight on the court.
However, the case has bigger potential ramifications, as Epic Games essentially claims that the App Store is an illegal monopoly. If the judge finally ruled in favor of Epic Games, it could change the entire app ecosystem.
“This matter raises questions at the borderlines of antitrust law in the United States”, Bloomberg cites Judge Rogers in her ruling.
The biggest battle, it seems, is just beginning.
[ad_2]
