Apple responded to Epic Games following the scandal the previous week. They have a week to comply with the rules again, otherwise they will lock their developer accounts.
Through its Twitter account, Epic Games announced that Apple finally spoke out after the legal scandal of the previous week, which involved Fortnite and direct payments. According to the North Carolina study, Apple gave them a week to fix Fortnite’s payment method and comply with App Store rules, otherwise, they could lose access to iOS and macOS developer tools (via The Verge
Apple removed Fortnite from the App Store and has informed Epic that on Friday, August 28 Apple will terminate all our developer accounts and cut Epic off from iOS and Mac development tools. We are asking the court to stop this retaliation. Details here: https://t.co/3br1EHmyd8
— Epic Games Newsroom (@EpicNewsroom) August 17, 2020
“Apple has removed Fortnite from the App Store and has informed Epic Games that on Friday, August 28, they will cancel all of our developer accounts and block Epic from the iOS and Mac development tools.” This was pointed out by the company responsible for the battle royale. Obviously, it does not seem that they intend to meet Apple’s requests, so next week another important chapter could emerge in a novel that still has stories to tell.
Losing access to Apple’s developer program is significantly more serious than a crashed app. This license allows you to publish apps, offer updates, and, of course, use the tools that Apple provides to develop software on its platforms. Without the license, Fortnite could be completely locked out of iOS; even on devices where it was installed before being removed from the App Store.
From direct payments to demand
On Thursday, August 13, Epic Games introduced direct payments in Fortnite, thus managing to bypass Apple’s payment method and avoiding the 30% commission. This practice is clearly prohibited in the App Store policies. The Cupertino people responded quickly by removing the battle royale from the digital store. However, that was what Epic expected. The studio quickly launched a campaign against Apple; first by sharing a mock video of the iconic 1984 commercial and then by filing a lawsuit.
As the document explains, Epic Games does not intend to obtain financial compensation, but rather to end Apple’s alleged monopolistic practices regarding the distribution of apps in the App Store. They didn’t even hide their intention to launch their own app store on iOS, something that seems pretty unlikely these days. Let us also remember that Apple is not the only company in conflict with Epic Games, since Google also withdrew Fortnite for violating the payment rules. The Mountain View company was also sued that same day.
Amelia Warner
Amelia Warner writes all the Latest Articles. She mostly covers Entertainment topics, but at times loves to write about movie reviews as well.
