The Epic Games-Apple feud over Fortnite has taken a new turn. Epic Games has filed for a preliminary injunction against Apple, asking the court to force Apple put back Fortnite on the App Store. “Today we ask the Court to stop Apple from retaliating against Epic for daring to challenge Apple’s misconduct while our antitrust case proceeds,” Epic Games said in a statement. And as expected, Epic Games is not pulling any stops and is calling Apple a ‘monopolist’ that forces developers into silence with its retaliatory stance.

https://twitter.com/EpicNewsroom/status/1302131290259349505?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

To give you a quick background, Apple removed Fortnite from the App Store when Epic Games introduced its own in-app payment system in the game, something that goes against the App Store policies. Epic followed it up with a lawsuit against Apple, and soon after, Apple terminated Epic Games’ developer account in what appears to be an ugly spat between the two companies, a feud in which Epic Games is trying to position itself as the savior for the whole developer community that is losing revenue opportunities due to strict Apple Store policies.

Apple is a monopolist and standing up to them is a necessary step to free consumers and developers from the unlawful restrictions Apple has imposed over app distribution and in-app payment processing on iOS. For too long, developers have not spoken out because they fear Apple’s retaliation. The company’s recent actions show that if you challenge Apple’s monopoly, Apple will attempt to destroy your business. We are committed to speaking up and securing lower cost, competitive access for all.

Epic Games

Apple, on the other hand, claims that the whole dispute is Epic Games’ own making, adding that the developer demanded a special deal from the company, something Apple didn’t accept. The Tim Cook-led company has also made it clear that Fortnite can return to the App Store if Epic Games agrees to the App Store policies and removes its own in-app payment system from the game.