Epic is taking its legal fight with Apple to the Supreme Court, and the company behind the game Fortnite isn’t happily standing by for results.
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Top comment by AppleDev
Apple is certainly in the right overall. I get with Apple's history why there is a bit of paranoia over losing control over their platforms, but despite being in the right I think they took it a little too far. Apple could give a little more in some grey areas just to be a good actor and to be less of an anti-trust target considering the burden to switch platforms is very high and Apple's US market share is very high. Allow other ecosystems a little more access (such as Microsoft Game Pass). If they can find a way to make cross-store licensing of apps easier that would also be great to show there is a lower burden to switch. People are currently more likely to switch to Apple than away anyway. Although the 30% cut is generally fair, there are some categories where it doesn't work and Apple should try harder to make that work. Agency models and creator models for example. Apple says they are trying to be fair and treat everyone the same, but sometimes that is actually a disservice to their users and developers by making it impossible to release certain apps. These apps have essentially been forced to the web. They could simply introduce compatible fees coupled with more restrictions. That is still treating everyone the same.
Epic Games case is awful though. If they want the level of control they are asking for they need to make their own platform. Maybe join with Meta and other also-rans to build something competitive.
Instead, Epic has decried the 9th Circuit court’s decision to pause an injunction against Apple as being “far too lenient,” Reuters reports. The complaint was made by Epic in a filing to the Supreme Court.
Epic Games on Thursday asked the U.S. Supreme Court to allow a lower court ruling to take effect against Apple Inc (AAPL.O) that could force the iPhone maker to change payment practices in its App Store.
Epic, maker of the popular video game “Fortnite,” filed a request asking the nation’s highest court to lift a July 17 decision by the San Francisco-based 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to pause its ruling that upheld an injunction against Apple. The decision gave Apple 90 days to pursue an appeal at the Supreme Court.
The legal battle between Epic and Apple started in 2020. That’s when the Fortnite creator skirted App Store rules and enabled in-game currency sales that bypassed Apple’s in-app purchase cut.
The case is now being elevated to the Supreme Court where the legality of Apple’s App Store policy will be decided. Epic argues that developers should to be restricted to Apple’s in-app purchase payment method in their own apps. Apple defends its policy that enables it to take a cut off all transactions by saying its practices protect customers from fraud and malware.
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