The saga between Epic Games and Apple seems to only be heating more and more as the days go on. Early this morning, U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers ruled that Fortnite would not be allowed to return to the App Store. She deemed that Apple was within its right to remove the title from its store. However, Apple was denied the opportunity to remove every Epic Games title from the marketplace. So any current mobile game that relies on the Unreal Engine was reinstated today.
Apple secures early win in the battle against Epic Games
Before the District Judge made any kind of a ruling, she did state that this case wasn’t a “slam dunk” for either side. Both companies have a case to be made and this initial restraining order that bars Fortnite from the App Store is only temporary and won’t affect the final ruling.
In response to this ruling, Apple stated that Epic Games’ current problem is “entirely self-inflicted” and “is in their power to resolve.” This comes after Epic chose to implement its own payment system in Fortnite that completely cuts out Apple. While fans might disagree, this does break the App Store guidelines set forth by Apple.
Though this wasn’t the outcome Epic Games desired, the company did manage a small win. The District Judge denied Apple’s restraining order for every title that uses Epic Games’ technology. This mostly relates back to other mobile games utilizing the Unreal Engine. When talking about this in court yesterday, the Judge said “Apple has chosen to act severely,” as this restraining order would harm other developers who don’t have anything to do with this legal battle.
September 28 is the next big date in this case. Epic Games has filed a request for a preliminary injunction and the District Judge set this date for a hearing on the matter.
Whose side are you on? Let us know, and keep up with Daily Esports for all gaming news.
