Epic Games CEO Hints Company Is Playing By Apple’s Rules
| Tags: Fortnite
| Author Matt Pryor
In the wake of the Epic Games vs. Apple antitrust court case, Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney indicates the developer is playing by Apple's rules in hopes of iOS reinstatement.
North Carolina-based video game developer Epic Games has been deeply entrenched in a legal battle with tech company Apple for more than a year. What initially began as a rebel-like act against Apple's unfair App Store fees and conditions quickly spiraled into one of the most infamous antitrust lawsuits in some time. The two multi-billion-dollar organizations went back and forth in court, arguing whether Epic broke the tech giant's rules and if those regulations were even fair in the first place.
A significant development in the case occurred mere days ago when Judge Yvonne Gonzalez-Rogers ruled in Apple's favor on most counts. It was not a total loss for Epic, though. The Judge determined that Apple needs to loosen its stranglehold over the iOS app market and allow third-party payment options. Epic Games appealed the court's decision despite the minor victory but still paid Apple a $6M USD settlement.
Epic's founder and CEO—Tim Sweeney—vowed that the developer's popular game Fortnite Battle Royale would not return to iOS until Apple. However, it seems the company is slowly inching toward the game's long-awaited return based on recent tweets.
Epic Can Return to App Store Only if it Follows the Rules
— Tim Sweeney (@TimSweeneyEpic) September 14, 2021
Tim Sweeney is no stranger to engaging Fortnite fans on Twitter, especially regarding Epic's fight against Apple. Yesterday evening, Sweeney tweeted that Epic paid Apple a court-ordered $6M USD for losing to Apple in the case. He then jumped into a Twitter thread with some followers about the suit and where Epic stands currently.
“Thanks for your note, but Apple took away Epic's Fortnite developer account, which is necessary to submit, release, and update products. We've asked for it back,” he wrote in response to a Twitter user.
When asked why Epic removed the direct payment tab on iOS, Sweeney responded with an article titled, “Apple says Epic can return to App Store only if it follows the rules,” published by Apple Insider. The article, which was posted four days ago, indicates that Epic must abide by Apple's rules if they want to access the iOS platform again. That information, plus Tim Sweeney's reference, seems to point toward Epic following the rules per se.
There's still no anticipated return date of Fortnite on the App Store. However, it seems that Epic is slowly lowering its guard to hopefully bring the iconic Battle Royale game back to millions who have been without it on iOS devices. We'll have to wait and see what more transpires in the Epic versus Apple grappling match.
Matt is a graduate of Southern New Hampshire University. He appreciates all esports titles but primarily focuses on Fortnite and Call of Duty. Matt continuously analyzes gameplay and plays the games himself to better understand in-game decisions by the best players in the world.