Judge Says No to Putting Fortnite Back on Apple's App Store

[Karlston]

Judge Says No to Putting Fortnite Back on Apple's App Store

The ruling means that Epic Games' massively popular title will remain off iOS devices while Epic's suit against Apple moves to trial. 

Don't look for Fortnite on the iOS App Store any time soon. Screenshot: Epic Games via IGDB

 

As reported by our friends at Ars Technica, a federal judge has denied a request from Epic Games that would’ve ordered Apple to allow Fortnite to return to the iOS App Store while the two companies await the outcome of their lawsuit. It’s the latest in a large legal battle between the two companies hinged on Epic’s Direct Payments in-app purchase system for the game, and it essentially means that Epic will not be able to offer Fortnite on any of Apple’s platforms for the time being. In her ruling, Judge Yvonne Gonzales Rogers said that any damages incurred by Epic during this time period are its own fault, because "this predicament is of its own making." The ruling, however, does allow products related to the Unreal Engine to stay on the App Store, as Gonzales argues that removing them would do significant damage to the health of the development ecosystem and marketplace on the iOS platform.

 

The conflict between Apple and Epic began when Epic unveiled its direct payment option in the iOS version of Fortnite, a move in violation of the App Store's standards for vendors. When Apple removed the game because of the violation, Epic sued, arguing that Apple's control of the iOS market was “unreasonable and unlawful.” The case ongoing, and Rogers said in her ruling that it was too early to pass any significant judgment on Epic's arguments regarding possible antitrust violations.

 

In an apparent response to the ruling, Epic CEO Tim Sweeney tweeted out sad lyrics from the Eagles song "Hotel California." The move, pulled straight out of a teenager's instant-messaging playbook, proves, once and for all, that video games are not for adults.

 

Judge Says No to Putting Fortnite Back on Apple's App Store