IN AUGUST EPIC announced a new payment method in Fortnite that bypassed Apple and Google’s usual 30 percent commission. You got more V-Bucks for your real bucks. Apple were not having this, and promptly removed Fortnite from its App Store, while Google also removed it from Android’s Google Play Store. Epic responded with an anti-trust lawsuit, claiming Apple’s App Store was effectively a monopoly. Apple then proposed blocking Epic’s access to developer accounts. That would have hurt Epic’s ability to maintain the Unreal engine. Fortunately the judge issued a temporary restraining order to stop Apple, commenting that it had “chosen to act severely.”
Apple’s wealth makes it a tough target for legal challenges. Epic came to court well prepared, but Apple appears to be quite happy to let the process last for months. The situation with Google is less strained-the main target of Epic’s ire is Apple. You can still play Fortnite on your iPhone, but you won’t get new downloads, so no new seasons until this is sorted.