Epic Games Warns Apple Threatens to Terminate Developer Account
Epic Games claims Apple plans to revoke its developer account by late August after the Fortnite creator bypassed App Store payment rules. The move forces Epic to seek a preliminary injunction to protect its broader business, including the widely used Unreal Engine.
Epic Games reports that Apple threatens to revoke its developer account by August 28, preventing the company from building or updating apps for iOS devices. This escalation follows Epic's decision to introduce a direct payment system in Fortnite that bypasses Apple's standard 30% fee, prompting Apple to remove the popular game from the App Store.
The video game developer now faces an existential threat to its broader business, specifically the Unreal Engine software that thousands of third-party creators rely on to build realistic graphics for mobile games. Epic argues that Apple targets its entire business in retaliation for the lawsuit, even though the engine itself violates no Apple policies.
In response to this aggressive move, Epic asks a federal court for a preliminary injunction to maintain the status quo and restore Fortnite to the App Store. This legal battle places Epic alongside other tech giants like Spotify and Facebook that publicly criticize Apple's strict control over its mobile marketplace.