On Monday, the legal fight between Apple Inc. and Epic Games Inc kicks into full gear. As some decisions are taken experts who form Apple play store policies, state that it will influence the future of the app store in the U.S. and how the world’s biggest technology platforms make money from developers.
Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers, who is the U.S. district judge, will be the one to decide whether to force Apple to let battle royale video game Fortnite back into the App store with epic’s in house payment option. When you choose to use Epic’s Unreal engine development software, then it will also rule if Apple can block any third-party apps.
The majority of the legal experts expect the judge to extend her temporary injunction for an unreal engine. But the experts aren’t willing to reinstate Fortnite in the Apple app store or Apple play store policies.
How did it all start?
Fortnite players on iPhone, Android devices, and iPads started seeing a new payment in the game on August 13. Besides revising Apple play store policies, the new system stated Epic direct payment. In simple terms, the new policy means that instead of paying Apple, Apple needs to pay Fortnite maker epic games. You need to pay directly to Epic, and it will cost less for the same thing.
Epic intentionally circumvented paying Apple and Google by doing this. In simple terms, both Google and Apple delisted the game from their play stores. Additionally, Apple took a step ahead and removed to revoke Epic’s developer access to Apple software.
After the payment option was added, it known to violate terms of service. So both Apple and Google pulled Fortnite from their digital storefronts. When it removed from both storefronts, it makes the game unable to download. Additionally, it also stops the game from receiving any updates in the future.
How did the companies react to Fortnite?
Apple plays store policies state that the last bit is especially crucial for Fortnite. Which is an online game with seasonal updates. Players on the iPhone and iPad won’t be able to play it when the next update arrives or buy the new Battle Pass. They won’t be able to play with friends on other consoles also.
Epic also maintains the unreal Engine beyond Fortnite, which ideally a set of software that is used to create games that include the Smartphone versions of player unknown’s battlegrounds. Additionally, Apple has also known to revoke Epic’s access to its software development kit, which is most likely to have a lot of impact on unreal Engines and the games created with it.
Epic says that it would be unable to issue updates to the unreal Engine on both iOs and Mac without access to Apple’s developer technology. Furthermore, in turn, any developer using the software wouldn’t be able to update their games as per new Apple play store policies. Without the update, the device wouldn’t be able to support the original versions.
Above all, Epic will lose access to Apple’s developer tools, and it could have a significant effect on the video gaming industry.
What did Epic do on August 13?
On August 13, Epic updated Fortnite to include, direct payments and on the same date, Epic decided to file a suit against Apple and Google as both the tech giants delisted the game from their digital storefronts. Additionally, Epic also launched central public relations that depicted Epic as a victim and Apple as the Aggressor. This mainly happened because Apple plays store policies established.
The campaign’s hashtag #FreeFortnite, and it introduced using Apple’s famous parody advertisement back from 1984. It albeit set in the world of Fortnite, and Apple was the villain then. Furthermore, the hashtag has extended beyond the main video into a themed tournament, including real life prizes and in-game. It mainly intended for Apple. For example, players can earn an in a game outfit that gave their avatar in an apple-shaped head. It known as Tart’s tycoon.
What has happened in the last two months?
Epic CEO Tim Sweeny, after a month and a half before Epic Games declared war on Apple over its Apple play store policies, wrote that the company would like to publish an iOS version of its epic games store app. It an epic operated digital storefront which currently exists on both P.C. and MAC.
Additionally, Sweeny had also asked permission from Apple to integrate competing payment processing options instead of Apple Payments. In his June 30 email to Apple’s chief executives Tim Cook, Sweeny wrote that the proposed feature would also make Apple’s iOS devices as open and competitive as it is on personal computers.
Furthermore, Apple known to decline such an offer on July 10, through a letter to its legal counsel. Apple’s chief Legal counsel Douglas Vetter said that approving a third party store like the one proposed by Epic would harmful to the health of Apple’s ecosystem.
What will the U.S. district judge decide?
The U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers will decide whether to force Apple to let battle royale Video game back or not. The decision is most likely to have significant consequences, especially across authorities around the globe, whether both the tech giants, including Google and Apple, have broken the antitrust laws.
The judge will consider if Epic is likely to succeed on the merits of its Antitrust claims and whether the company will undergo any irreparable damage, provided the injunction not issued. Apple and Google’s ability to charge fees is at stake. In the first half of 2020, consumers have spent almost $50 billion worldwide on both Appstore and Google play.
If the Fortnite case ends up favoring Apple, then Google might change its policies. Lastly, Epic has earned a lot of goodwill among gamers and other developers irrespective of the outcome.
