In the ongoing feud between Apple and Epic Games, the district court has ordered Apple not to block Epic’s Unreal engine which is used by various apps on the App store. However, the popular game Fortnite remains to be off the App Store. U.S. District Court Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers said Apple can’t retaliate against Epic Games by blocking the gaming firm’s developer accounts or restrict developers on Apple platforms from accessing the widely-used Unreal Engine tools.
The effect of banning the developer’s account will show major damage for both Epic games and other third party developers who are using Unreal Engine. The court also stated that the action on Fortnite is justified as the company did break the rules of the App store, but it did not breach any contracts related to the Unreal engine and developer tools. The court also mentioned that the game Fortnite will remain off the App Store unless the company brings the games in accordance with the App Store rules and regulations, only after which it can be published back on the platform of App Store.
The issue started earlier this month when Apple removed Fortnite from the App Store for using its own payment method, instead of using Apple’s payment platform which also had a 30% commission that Epic had to pay Apple for every in-game purchase. With Apple removing the app from the App Store, the issue spread like wildfire, with Epic Games complaining against the monopoly the App store is having over the market. Many companies like Facebook and Xbox have also come in support for Epic Games and have objected to App Stores’ action against them.