Apple Vs Epic: Fortnite Blacklisted From App Store Indefinitely
Apple's new memo makes it clear that Epic Games' Fortnite may not appear on the App Store again anytime soon. Here's what happened
Did you think the battle between tech giant Apple and game developer Epic ended after a landmark court ruling? Just like us, you thought wrong. Apple seems to have backtracked from its promise of letting Epic Games bring Fortnite back on the Apple App Store by using legal means.
Now, Fortnite will be blacklisted for years before it can make a comeback. And in the digital space, gaps are filled very quickly. Essentially, Fortnite may never come back on the App Store if Apple has its way.
Reuters
What happens to Fortnite now?
The tech giant has said that Fortnite will only reappear on the App Store once its legal battles with Epic are completed. This process would take years before the battle reaches a conclusive end.
Epic Games' CEO Tim Sweeney revealed the news on Wednesday, not many days later after a US court ruled that Apple cannot force app developers to use its payment method. Now, game developers may redirect App Store users to their own payment portals, a ruling which many hailed as a win for game developers.
Reuters
As history tells us, tech giants are almost always unlikely to lose because of their unannounced monopoly. Apple seems to be doing just whatever it takes to keep Fortnite off the App Store.
¡°This is another extraordinary anticompetitive move by Apple, demonstrating their power to reshape markets and choose winners and losers", Epic Games CEO Sweeney had said on Twitter.
Why are Apple and Epic going rogue?
After Epic launched its own in-app purchases to bypass the now defunct 30 per cent fee amassed by Apple, the company responded by enforcing a ban on the app for breaking contract rules.
Reuters
Even though the recent ruling has opened up scope of more freedom for app developers on the Apple marketplace, it left out a few demands - including Epic's request to allow third-party app stores on Apple, something already allowed by Google on its Android phones.
Even then, both Google and Apple are facing antitrust around the world including India for their anti-competition monopoly maintaining practices.
Do you think Apple should allow Fortnite to reappear on the App Store? Please let us know what you think in the comments below. For the latest that's happening in the world of science and technology, keep reading Indiatimes.com.
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