Apparently, the legal dispute between Apple and Epic Games is far from over. In this new episode, the discussion involves the game Fortnite, which should remain banned from the Apple Store for iOS, until the final opinion of justice. So, if you are a game lover, and you have an iPhone, know that this wait can be long. The fight in court can take up to 5 years. Check the details below.
Fortnite will have Morty from “Rick and Morty” coming soon to battle royale
Fortnite should not return to iOS until the final decision of the Justice
The indications that the legal dispute is going far can be seen in the emails shared by the CEO of Epic, Tim Sweeney on Twitter, last Wednesday (22). According to the CEO, Apple would have promised to enable Fortnite on the App Store, if the developer respected the store's rules.
In short, as Apple was forced to make external payments available on the platform, Sweeney asked for Battle Royale to be released again. However, Apple said it no longer intended to reactivate Fortnite, or other company apps. The justification is that Epic would have "committed an intentional breach of contract and trust, hiding code and making false and omissive statements".
In addition, Apple cited the latest ruling by Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers — the case handler in the Court — to justify blocking Fortnite.
According to Mark Perry, Apple's Business Development Manager:
"(…) the court recognized that 'Apple had contractual rights to act as it did. It merely enforced those rights, as [Epic's] own internal documents showed that Epic Games expected this'."
Furthermore, Apple cited a lack of trust in Sweeney. According to Apple, the CEO of Epic stated that he would not include alternative payment methods in Fortnite, just for the game to return to the App Store. Because of this, the company decided to keep the game banned, and says it will not consider another request.
Sweeney accuses Apple of cheating
In response, Sweeney took to Twitter to again accuse Apple of treason and monopoly. According to the CEO, Apple is committing an unfair, and anti-competitive practice. That being said, as Epic paid the $6 million fine demanded by the Court, referring to the time the game profited from alternative payment methods.
On his Twitter, Sweeney states that:
"Apple lied. Apple spent a year telling the world, the court and the press that it 'would welcome Epic's return to the App Store if the company agreed to play by the same rules as everyone else'. Epic agreed, and now Apple has once again abused its monopoly power over a billion users."
