Fortnite maker sues Apple, Google over app removal

Google issued a similar statement but noted that Android allows for multiple app stores, unlike the iPhone.

Apple Inc. and Google removed Fortnite from their app stores on Thursday, prompting lawsuits by the game’s creator, Epic Games Inc. The moves escalate a dispute between the companies that had been brewing in recent weeks. The disagreement stems from a longstanding Apple App Store rule saying most apps must offer billing through Apple and pay the company 30% of revenue. On Thursday morning, Epic began offering customers a way to directly buy items for Fortnite and circumvent the fees. Hours later, Apple pulled the app, and Google followed suit later in the day.

The game has had more than 350 million players over the years, the lawsuit said.

Apple said in an emailed statement it removed Fortnite because Epic’s changes had the “express intent of violating the App Store guidelines.” Apple said its store helped enable Epic’s success over the last decade and that it offers a “level playing field” for businesses. Google issued a similar statement but noted that Android allows for multiple app stores, unlike the iPhone.

Epic filed a lawsuit in a California district court, alleging that Apple’s stranglehold on its app store and related customer payments is anti-competitive. Epic said it isn’t seeking money but for Apple’s practices to be stopped. If not for Apple’s “illegal restraints,” Epic would provide a competing app store on Apple devices, according to the lawsuit. It filed a complaint against Google hours later, accusing the search giant of anticompetitive behaviour.

Fortnite, Epic’s flagship game, is a cultural phenomenon. The game has had more than 350 million players over the years, the lawsuit said. The game’s removal from the App Store means losing access to more than a billion iPhone and iPad customers. Sales through Apple’s store generated $32.8 billion for developers in the first half of 2020, up more than 20% from a year earlier, according to market research firm Sensor Tower.