In a stunning series of events, Epic Games has filed a lawsuit in the District Court of Northern California against Apple. The suit was filed in response to Apple removing mega-popular online game Fortnite from the App Store.
It started when Epic Games began offering the ability to purchase discounted V-Bucks on the iPhone directly through the Epic Games store, rather than through the App Store. Apple forbids any alternative methods for in-app purchases outside the App Store. In response, Fortnite was removed from the App Store entirely.
The game is still playable for those who already own it. But right now it cannot be purchased or updated on iOS.
The removal appears to be a calculated plan from Epic Games in order to go after Apple’s notorious stranglehold of iOS and the App Store, which takes a 30% cut of all revenue. They quickly filed a lawsuit accusing Apple of blocking competition with Epic’s newly discounted V-Bucks.
The lawsuit has a lot of merit, according to Business Insider. Writes Troy Wolverton: “The complaint lays out a well-reasoned, damning argument about Apple’s power, about how little ability developers or consumers have to challenge that power, and what Apple’s essentially unchallengeable rules are costing developers and consumers alike.”
Epic Games is also quick to rally the public, and its young fanbase, to its side, using Apple’s own infamous 1984 commercial. In Epic’s version (above), a thinly-veiled talking apple is in the role of the Big Brother-like villain, and it’s up to a Fortnite character to fling a signature sledgehammer at the imposing screen, freeing everyone from tyranny.
More on Epic Game’s position and desired outcomes can be found in the Fortnite Mega Drop FAQ.
