Epic has filed an injunction claiming it will be booted from Apple’s Developer Program – preventing it from developing and distributing software on Mac and iOS, potentially having dramatic implications for its Unreal Engine business – if it refuses to comply with Apple’s request to remove its rule-breaking secondary payment option from Fortnite.
It’s the latest development in the battle between the two billion dollar technology companies which started in earnest last week, when Epic made the decision to implement an in-game payment option in the iOS and Android versions of Fortnite which circumvented Apple and Google’s official in-app purchase mechanisms, and thus their 30% cut.
Given that Epic’s move directly, and seemingly intentionally, contravened App Store guidelines – which state that developers wishing to unlock specific features or functionality within their apps must must use in-app purchases – it wasn’t much of a surprise when Apple made the decision to pull Fortnite from its App Store on the same day.
