Home » Technology » Apple won’t let Fortnite return to iOS anytime soon – here’s why – Marseille News

Apple won’t let Fortnite return to iOS anytime soon – here’s why – Marseille News

Fortnite iOS Photo credit: Erik Mclean

Apple denied Epic Games’ request to reinstate its iOS developer license.

This means Fortnite won’t be returning to iOS for the foreseeable future. Apple says it won’t reinstate Epic’s developer license until all legal options are exhausted. Fortnite could be out of the App Store for several years to come.

“In light of these and other statements since the court ruling, associated with Epic’s deceptive conduct in the past, Apple has exercised its discretion not to reinstate Epic’s development program at this time” , reads the letter from Apple lawyer Mark A. Perry. “In addition, Apple will not consider any further reinstatement applications until the district court’s judgment becomes final and without appeal.”

Epic won a legal victory against Apple on September 10, forcing Apple to open up in-game payment options for all developers. The injunction allowed Epic to avoid paying the 30% “Apple tax” on all in-app transactions for Fortnite – which brings in billions.

Now, in a letter to Epic’s legal counsel, Apple lawyers say the company is refusing to reinstate Epic’s account until the courts render a final verdict without appeal. Epic CEO Tim Sweeney said the appeal process for the case could take up to five years.

“Apple lied,” Sweeney says in his tweets. “Apple spent a year telling the world, the court and the press that they would welcome Epic’s return to the App Store if they agreed to play by the same rules as everyone else.” Epic agreed, and now Apple has given up on yet another abuse of its monopoly power over a billion users.

Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers’ Sept. 10 ruling found that Apple did not violate antitrust law by excluding Epic Games and Fortnite from the App Store. The decision gave third-party developers the ability to communicate about alternative payment methods outside of the App Store.

Epic Games was forced to pay Apple $ 6 million as ordered by the court. A portion of that payment is the revenue from Fortnite the company earned when it activated its own in-app payment method. Enabling in-app payments that bypassed Apple’s was what sparked the lawsuit in the first place.

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