A United States court decided that, for now, Apple may continue to block the video game Epic Fortnight from its App Store. However, the tech giant cannot erase the developer accounts of Epic Games, nor can its graphics tool compromise with the Unreal engine, which many third-party game creators use.
This is until the full hearing on September 28. Apple pulled Fortnight from the App Store after Apex deliberately broke its rules in protest of Apple’s policies. Apple also threatened to take away access to the developer’s tools, Apex said.
In the ruling, as reported by The Verge, Judge Uno Gonzalez Rogers wrote that APEC had not disclosed that Apple’s actions so far had claimed in its legal documents that “irreparable damage” has happened.
However, she also wrote that Apple has “chosen to take drastic action” by threatening to stop the Unreal engine, which is widely used by others.
“Epic Games and Apple are free to sue each other, but their dispute should not cause havoc to passers-by,” she said. However, regarding Fortnight, Epic has “chosen a strategy to violate its agreements with Apple,” she said.
The App Store’s terms state that Apple takes 30% of the revenue from digital purchases in the app, and developers are not allowed to sign that prices may be lower outside the app. The two removed Fortnight from their stores after offering a discount on the game’s currency V Bucks when the Epic was purchased on the website instead.
Microsoft has backed Epic in the dispute on Monday. Xbox head Phil Spencer tweeted: “It’s the right thing for game developers and players to ensure Epic has access to the new Apple technology.”
The same thing applies to Google Play Store.
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