Apple Has 'Lost Sight of the Tech Industry's Founding Principles,' Says Epic Games CEO

Following Apple's countersuit on Tuesday, Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney has now responded to Apple's new request for damages for breach of contract.

fortnite apple logo 2

Sweeney says that Apple's claim that the legal dispute is "nothing more than a basic disagreement over money" is an indication that it has "lost sight of the tech industry's founding principles," although he does not explicitly state what these founding principles are. He also assumes that Apple is "posturing for the court."

Sweeney went on to refer to Epic's "Nineteen Eighty-Fortnite" commercial, explaining that it was intended to show that Apple was now the "all-powerful corporation dictating the terms of users' access to their devices," displacing IBM, and that it is "using that position to exert control and extract money."

He then reiterated some of the rationale behind why ‌Epic Games‌ began the campaign against Apple's App Store policies, stating that "creators have rights." Sweeney concluded by strongly disputing that the entire disagreement was about money, instead saying it is a more fundamental fight for change.

‌Epic Games‌' developer account has now been terminated, and the company has filed for a preliminary injunction that would both allow Fortnite back on the ‌App Store‌ and restore access to its developer account. At the same time, ‌Epic Games‌ has refused to remove the direct payment option that is in direct violation of Apple's ‌‌App Store‌‌ policies‌. The preliminary injunction hearing will take place at the end of this month.

Popular Stories

iphone 17 models

No iPhone 18 Launch This Year, Reports Suggest

Thursday January 1, 2026 8:43 am PST by
Apple is not expected to release a standard iPhone 18 model this year, according to a growing number of reports that suggest the company is planning a significant change to its long-standing annual iPhone launch cycle. Despite the immense success of the iPhone 17 in 2025, the iPhone 18 is not expected to arrive until the spring of 2027, leaving the iPhone 17 in the lineup as the latest...
duolingo ad live activity

Duolingo Used iPhone's Dynamic Island to Display Ads, Violating Apple Design Guidelines

Friday January 2, 2026 1:36 pm PST by
Language learning app Duolingo has apparently been using the iPhone's Live Activity feature to display ads on the Lock Screen and the Dynamic Island, which violates Apple's design guidelines. According to multiple reports on Reddit, the Duolingo app has been displaying an ad for a "Super offer," which is Duolingo's paid subscription option. Apple's guidelines for Live Activity state that...
Low Cost A18 Pro MacBook Feature Pink

Apple's 2026 Low-Cost A18 Pro MacBook: What We Know So Far

Friday January 2, 2026 4:33 pm PST by
Apple is planning to release a low-cost MacBook in 2026, which will apparently compete with more affordable Chromebooks and Windows PCs. Apple's most affordable Mac right now is the $999 MacBook Air, and the upcoming low-cost MacBook is expected to be cheaper. Here's what we know about the low-cost MacBook so far. Size Rumors suggest the low-cost MacBook will have a display that's around 13 ...
govee floor lamp

CES 2026: Govee Announces New Matter-Connected Ceiling and Floor Lights

Sunday January 4, 2026 5:00 am PST by
Govee today introduced three new HomeKit-compatible lighting products, including the Govee Floor Lamp 3, the Govee Ceiling Light Ultra, and the Govee Sky Ceiling Light. The Govee Floor Lamp 3 is the successor to the Floor Lamp 2, and it offers Matter integration with the option to connect to HomeKit. The Floor Lamp 3 offers an upgraded LuminBlend+ lighting system that can reproduce 281...
airpods pro 3 glitter

AirPods New Year's Deals Include Up to $99 Off AirPods Max, AirPods Pro 3, and AirPods 4

Sunday January 4, 2026 8:04 am PST by
Now that the calendar has flipped over into January, steep discounts on popular Apple products have become more rare after the holidays. However, if you didn't get a new pair of AirPods recently and are looking for a model on sale, Amazon does have a few solid second-best prices this week. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When you click a link and make a...
Belkin 25W Battery magnetic

CES 2026: Belkin Announces Magnetic Ring Power Bank, Modular Dock, and More

Sunday January 4, 2026 3:02 pm PST by
Belkin today announced a range of new charging and connectivity accessories at CES 2026, expanding its portfolio of products aimed at Apple device users. UltraCharge Pro Power Bank 10K with Magnetic Ring The lineup includes new Qi2 and Qi2.2 wireless chargers, magnetic power banks, a high-capacity laptop battery, and USB-C productivity accessories, with an emphasis on higher charging...
samsung crease less foldable display ces 2026%402x

Foldable iPhone's Crease-Free Display Tech Spotted at CES 2026

Tuesday January 6, 2026 3:04 am PST by
CES 2026 has just provided a first glimpse of the folding display technology that Apple is expected to use in its upcoming foldable iPhone. At the event, Samsung Display briefly showcased its new crease-less foldable OLED panel beside a Galaxy Z Fold 7, and according to SamMobile, which saw the test booth before it was abruptly removed, the new panel "has no crease at all" in comparison. The ...
AirPods Pro 3 Year of the Horse Feature

Apple Launches Year of the Horse AirPods Pro 3 for Lunar New Year

Monday January 5, 2026 11:28 am PST by
Apple has designed a limited edition version of the AirPods Pro 3 to celebrate Lunar New Year, and customers in select countries can purchase them starting today. The Year of the Horse Special Edition AirPods Pro 3 feature a unique horse emoji character that's otherwise unavailable. Customers in China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Malaysia, and Singapore are able to buy the AirPods, and they'll be...

Top Rated Comments

Anson_431 Avatar
70 months ago
Epic: We are fighting for change!

Also Epic: *Remains silent towards that same 30% charge on consoles*

oops lol
Score: 82 Votes (Like | Disagree)
t76turbo Avatar
70 months ago
Epic is a spoiled brat..... Glad I dont play fortnite anymore.
Score: 65 Votes (Like | Disagree)
AngerDanger Avatar
70 months ago
Apple Has 'Lost Sight of the Tech Industry's Founding Principles,' Says Epic Games CEO
He's got a point. The tech industry was founded on the principle that Epic is entitled to be on Apple's app store for free and not incur fees for subscriptions made on that platform, despite having to pay similar fees on every other platform.

Sure, we all balked and wondered what the hell an "app store," "Epic," and "Fortnite" was back in the '70s, but they all turned out to be incredibly relevant.
Score: 52 Votes (Like | Disagree)
I7guy Avatar
70 months ago
I think Epic should look in the mirror and see who is "losing sight and of what."

And sure Apple should let them back into the app store and restore their account...after they remove the theft of revenue from the app and apologize...
Score: 51 Votes (Like | Disagree)
fokmik Avatar
70 months ago
When you cant say anything constructive and logical , you start a fight, and bashing like a child
Its clear Epic CEO is mad/angry....its a MAAAD WORLD THERE AT EPIC
Score: 45 Votes (Like | Disagree)
metalsiren Avatar
70 months ago
what such bull **** Epic, its over Money that you want. you want to be able to sell a product at Walmart and for Walmart to get no money from it. or even worse setup your OWN shop in a Walmart and they get nothing for it
Score: 42 Votes (Like | Disagree)