Apple Deals Another Blow to Epic Games

The dispute between Apple and Epic Games reached a new peak when Apple decided to terminate Epic’s App Store account. Epic Games had found a way to maneuver Apple’s in-app purchase policy, and that riled the company up. From their side, Apple responded by terminating the developer’s account.

Fortnite and other apps by Epic Games are no longer available on the iPhone or iPad. Searching for Epic Games on the App Store will show you a blank page.

Apple terminates Epic Games’ devs account

Epic Games had been using a system of direct payment for a while now, and this allowed users to circumvent Apple’s 30% tax policy on in-app purchases. Apple saw this as a direct violation of its policies. Epic Games refused to budge and continued with what they were doing. This caused Apple to block Fortnite on its App Store and this move ended up turning the issue into a legal dispute.

This termination means that Epic Games can no longer submit apps or updates using its developer account. However, iPhone and iPad users who already have Fortnite downloaded on their devices can continue playing the game. Having said that, the Marvel-themed season four content will not be available for Apple users as the game won’t witness any updates.

Apple’s statement

Apple recently released a statement where they said, “We are disappointed that we have had to terminate the Epic Games account on the App Store. We have worked with the team at Epic Games for many years on their launches and releases.  The court recommended that Epic complies with the App Store guidelines while their case moves forward, guidelines they’ve followed for the past decade until they created this situation.”

The guidelines allow Apple to take a 30% tax from in-app purchases. This doesn’t allow small developers to compete, and the consumers also have to pay more. The statement went on to say, “Epic has refused. Instead, they repeatedly submit Fortnite updates designed to violate the guidelines of the App Store. This is not fair to all other developers on the App Store and is putting customers in the middle of their fight. We hope that we can work together again in the future, but unfortunately, that is not possible today.”

READ MORE- XBOX CEO Backs Epic Games in Fight Against Apple 

Tim Sweeney Reacts with a Twitter Post

Tim Sweeney, the CEO of Epic Games, wasn’t too happy with Apple’s statement. He said that Epic Games did try to submit a new build of Fortnite to the app store, but this was apparently disregarded.

Epic Games has another account to manage called the Unreal Engine, and as per legal guidelines, Apple can’t block this account.

Now that Epic Games is out of the picture, Apple has decided to promote their competitor PUBG Mobile to add fuel to fire.

In their statement, Apple said that they hoped the two companies could work together again in the future. However, considering how strained their relationship is right now, a reunion seems highly unlikely.

On a more positive note, Epic Games rolled out Chapter 2 Season 4 of Fortnite with new weapons and emotes. The season will have a Marvel-themed makeover that will represent the comic-book storyline of this season. It will feature eight Marvel characters that can be unlocked when the players complete challenges and make progress.