Fortnite calls on Apple to allow its developers back on app store
Epic Games, the company behind Fortnite, has demanded that Apple restore its developer account on the app store as a legal battle over payments wages on.
In August 2020, Epic Games was kicked off the app store for flouting lucrative rules which let Apple take a 30 per cent cut of in-app payments. In response, Fortnite launched legal proceedings against the tech giant and accused the company of using its monopoly position to force payments from developers.
So began a series of heated legal battles spanning courtrooms worldwide. The government in South Korea now poised to pass a law which attacks Google and Apple’s business model by letting mobile users pay app developers directly.
Fortnite took to Twitter to demand that Epic’s developer account be restored. A spokesperson for the world’s most popular game, said, “Epic intends to re-release Fortnite on iOS in Korea offering both Epic payment and Apple payment side-by-side in compliance with the new Korean law.”
Apple, however, rebuffed the attempted return to the app store. A spokesperson said, “We would welcome Epic’s return to the App Store if they agree to play by the same rules as everyone else.”
Fortnite launched an additional legal complaint against Apple in the European Commission in February, and is attempting to prove that the App Store rules violate EU law.
Facing intense scrutiny from regulators across the globe Apple recently loosened its app-store rules to allow developers of “reader” apps to link to external sites for payments. The concession, which lets some developers bypass Apple’s controversial fees, will not apply to gaming apps such as Fortnite.
Read more: Apple relaxes controversial App Store rules amid regulatory scrutiny