Epic Games has expanded its current legal battle against Apple and Google by filing a new lawsuit in the UK. The Fortnite developer continues to speak out against "abuse of dominance" in the mobile platform market.
The two bids against Apple and Google are the latest in Epic Games' campaign to rebuild Fortnite in app stores and change the way mobile ecosystems work. They were filed on December 8 and 29, respectively, but only this week were made public by the UK Supreme Court.
Back in August, Epic Games added a direct payments option to Fortnite for mobile devices, avoiding the 30% commission that Apple and Google require under developer agreements when publishing apps to the App Store and Google Play.
Both companies removed Fortnite from their marketplaces, to which Epic responded with an antitrust lawsuit. The developer is now calling on the competition court to decide that the removal of the game from the App Store and Google Play was illegal, as well as certain terms in the companies' agreements with the developers.
Epic Games also wants Fortnite to be rebuilt in both stores and direct payments allowed.
GamesIndustry has learned from Epic Games that the company will present its case to the Supreme Court on January 21.
“We believe this is an important argument on behalf of consumers and developers in the UK and around the world affected by Apple and Google's abuse of market power,” said Tera Randall, vice president of communications and policy. " Epic does not seek damages from Apple or Google in the UK, Australia, or the US, it just strives for fair access and competition that will benefit all consumers."
Apple also responded to a press inquiry: “For twelve years, the App Store has helped developers translate their brightest ideas into world-changing apps. Providing customers with a safe and secure place to download software has always been our top priority and apply the rules equally to all developers. Epic has been one of the most successful developers in the App Store, which has grown into a multibillion-dollar business serving millions of iOS customers worldwide, including the UK, a company spokesman said. -Epic included a feature in their app that the judge described as hidden. It has not been reviewed and approved by Apple, and Epic has done so with the explicit intent to violate App Store policies that apply equally to every developer and protect customers. Her reckless behavior has made clients pawns, and we hope to bring this to the UK court."
The decision on these cases could subsequently affect the ecosystem of other major platforms: Xbox, PlayStation, PC, and Nintendo.
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