No doubt, at this point you’ve heard about the high profile fight between Epic Games and Apple. The two massive companies have clashed over the cut that the digital storefront takes. After offering direct payment options in Fortnite, which was against App Store guidelines, the shooter was removed from the iOS App Store (as well as Google’s Play Store shortly after). Now, the two are battling it out in court for what will most likely be years unless one side drops their respective case. And today, we got one of the first major rulings.
As reported via Bloomberg, U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers ruled slightly in favor of Apple, concluding that the game will remain off the App Store. While that is a blow to Epic Games’ effort, on the other hand Judge Rogers also ruled that Epic Games did not breach their Unreal Engine contract, meaning that the ban that Apple had planned for Unreal Engine tools will not go into effect. But that latter is not permanent, instead being a temporary restraining order (TRO), so it’s possible the ban could still potentially come. September 28 was set as the date for the next phase, a preliminary injunction, at the request of Epic Games.
This is the first of what is sure to be a very long process, but also one that both sides came out with some gained and loss. Though, it seems Epic Games lost the most since the ban on Unreal Engine was only temporary. But there’s a still a potentially long way to go here, and we’ll keep you updated as more updates come in.
