The Apple vs. Epic Games saga continues to heat up… this time with Epic Games scheming to try and compel Apple to approve the popular Fortnite mobile video game on its App Store via court order (at least, that’s what could happen if the game publisher gets its way).
The news comes after Apple formally rejected Epic Games’ attempt to submit Fortnite mobile to the App Store via the company’s Swedish Apple Developer account. Epic Games had hoped that it could put the game back in the App Store while offering full access to in-app purchases without Apple taking 15-30% of the cut following a court order issued in the United States by Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers.
While other apps, including Spotify, have been successful at getting such in-app purchases approved, Epic Games’ developer account in the United States remains banned at this time, and it remains to be seen if Epic Games’ attempt to get the app approved with its Swedish developer account in the United States has anything to do with its rejection, or if Apple is just playing the evil gatekeeper with its power over developers as usual.
Fortunately for anyone who might want to play Epic Games’ Fortnite video game on the iPhone or iPad anytime soon, Epic Games hasn’t backed down from this rejection and has now requested that Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers force Apple to approve Epic Games’ submission.
Epic Games is, of course, twisting this request to work to its advantage, suggesting that Apple’s refusal to approve the Fortnite mobile game in the United States App Store is the result of legal retaliation and that the company is therefore in contempt of the court order.
Apple, on the other hand, notes that the company will be contesting Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers’ decision and refuses to take action on Fortnite mobile submissions in the United States until a final decision is reached.
As a result of the rejection, Epic Games threw a tantrum and pulled Fortnite mobile from the entire platform, including in markets where the game has been available in third-party marketplaces for the iPhone and iPad like in the European Union via platforms like AltStore PAL and the Epic Games Store. Epic Games says that a major update to the game requires it to be updated across all platforms simultaneously, and that the app’s rejection contributed to this decision until further notice.
It remains to be seen whether Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers will see the light behind Epic Games’ latest argument and force Apple to approve the game or not. Only time will tell…