Epic: Apple Lied & Fortnite Won't Be Back on iOS

Epic vs Apple — The fight moves into the next round. | © Epic Games / Apple

Epic Games has released a document alleging serious wrongdoing on the part of Apple. Claimed in the document is that Apple has lied and broken promises, and will continue to ban Fortnite from all Apple products into the future. These bans will lift once the legal battle between the two companies has been resolved. Here are the latest developments in the Epic Games vs Apple lawsuit.

Epic's antitrust proceedings against apple, in which the company lost all but one challenge, may be closed for now, but the drama continues. Apple has told Epic Games that it will not re-establish its Fortnite developer account until the appeal process is completed – a decision that could mean the Battle Royale game will not be available on all Apple devices for many years.

Apple revoked Epic's Fortnite developer account in August last year, blocking the distribution of Fortnite on its devices after Epic Games deliberately bypassed the contracted app store payment mechanisms in its Fortnite iOS app – a move that Apple has since called an "intentional breach of contract". If you are not completely up-to-date, here's some background info.

As you can see, this whole Epic vs. Apple thing seems like a never ending battle. Epic appealed the charges unsuccessfully, and Fortnite remained unavailable on all Apple devices for the duration of the trial. After the court ruling, which also confirmed that Apple has the right to ban Fortnite from the Apple Store, Epic Games has tried again to reactivate its developer account, this time through a direct complaint to Apple.

Epic Games have now released correspondence relating to this application publicly available on its website.

The Allegations

Epic Games is making grave allegations against Apple. In a long blog entry on their homepage, where they also published emails, they claimed the following:

Apple lied. Apple spent a year telling the world, the court, and the press they’d "welcome Epic’s return to the App Store if they agree to play by the same rules as everyone else". Epic agreed, and now Apple has reneged in another abuse of its monopoly power over a billion users.

In an initial email addressed to Apple manager Phill Schiller, Tim Sweeney, CEO of Epic Games, requested that Apple re-establish Epic's Fortnite developer account, and set out a number of conditions that Apple must meet before Epic is ready and willing to put Fortnite back on the App Store.

Phil schiller letter fortnite apple — An email between Schiller and Sweeney. | © Epic Games

Last night, Apple announced that Epic Games' Fortnite would be on Apple's blacklist until all legal remedies were exhausted. This process could take up to five years.

We understand that Epic Games is not exactly thrilled with Apple's decision. However, given that Epic Games is trying to appeal the decision, we'd argue that Apple's reluctance to allow Fortnite to return makes perfect sense.

How Has Apple Responded to the Allegations?

Apple has confirmed the authenticity of the letter sent by Sweeney, but declined to comment. Apple has not yet commented on whether it will move to pause the injunction until the appeal process has been completed.

One can easily say that this is a battle between two power giants, in which both Epic Games and Apple have lost significant amounts of time and money. There was no court order to bring Fortnite back to the store, and Apple lost its ability to refuse payments outside of its system. Both major corporations have lost, and all other developers will reap the rewards of Epic Games' removal from Apple platforms.

Sure, some are upset that they can't play Fortnite on their iPhones, and that's a shame for them, but that doesn't take away from the joy of watching companies screw up in public. Will Fortnite be playable on Apple systems at some point? Well, we're not really sure, and we certainly don't know when. Until then, just get yourself a bag of popcorn, take a seat, and watch the drama play out...

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This article was originally written by Alisa Eiber.