The American video game and software developer and publisher, Epic Games, is trying to convince a California court to put back Fortnite on the Apple App Store pending legal proceedings, arguing that doing so is in the “public interest,” court documents show.
If not, the game could suffer “irreparable harm,” the company’s lawyers said in a new lawsuit delivered Friday, 4 September 2020.
The gambit comes amid a battle over whether Apple’s tight control over the App Store, and its 30% cut of revenue, counts as monopolistic behaviour.
Apple pulled Fortnite from its online mobile apps marketplace on 13 August after Epic released an update that dodges revenue sharing with the iPhone maker.
Last month a US court rejected Epic’s bid to have Fortnite reinstated on the App Store, saying its eviction by Apple was a “self-inflicted wound.” Epic says in the new complaint:
“Over 116 million registered users have accessed Fortnite through iOS — more than any other platform. By eliminating many of these players from Fortnite and blocking Fortnite’s ability to access over a billion iOS users, Apple is irreparably harming Epic’s chances”.
Daily active users have dropped by more than 60% since Fortnite was removed, it says, while Epic’s reputation has also taken a hit. The lawsuit adds that “Epic may never see these users again”. But it did not back down from its fight against Apple, stating that the tech giant “is a monopolist.”
Due to the legal row, Fortnite fans using iPhones or other Apple products no longer have access to the latest game updates, including the new season released at the end of August.
This follows after Apple blocked Fortnite from the App Store, which now prevents iOS players from updating to new versions. Players will now be left behind on Chapter 2 Season 3 while everyone else moves on.
Read full statement from Epic Games below.
https://www.epicgames.com/fortnite/en-US/news/freefortnite
Main Image: BBC.com
