Epic Games wants Apple to bring the Fortnite app back to iOS

Filed in United States District Court for the Northern District of California. movement says“All Epic wants is a trial to stop Apple from retaliating against Epic for daring to challenge Apple’s misconduct.”

Fortnite has been locked out of iOS since August when Epic introduced players to a new way to buy in-game currency directly without paying Apple or Google their usual 30% revenue. The move violated Apple and Google’s app store policies, tech giants said, and Fortnite has been removed from iOS and Android devices. Then epic sued Apple and Googleaccusing them of monopolistic practices.

Claiming that Apple monopolizes the distribution and purchase of iOS apps, Epic Games “will have to convince the judge that these are the markets to start,” John Bergmeier, legal director of consumer protection group Public Knowledge, told CNN Business.

On Saturday, Apple referred to its previous CNN Business statement, saying that “the court recommended Epic to abide by the App Store guidelines as their case moves forward, the guidelines they followed over the past decade until they created this situation. Epic refused. … ”

The statement reads: “We hope to be able to work together again in the future, but unfortunately this is not possible today.”

This decision meant that iOS players with Fortnite downloaded to their phones were unable to access the latest game updates, which were released later in August.

While Apple claims its policy is industry standard and is designed to ensure app consistency and security for consumers, critics say Apple’s 30% commission and requirements for all in-app payments to be made through Apple’s payment channels are holding back competition.

“I think (Epic’s litigation) would be good for the markets as a whole,” said Mitch Stolz, senior attorney at the Electronic Frontier Foundation, a nonprofit digital rights group. “You will see more experiments, you will see more business models. You will see more innovation. “