Epic Games

By MacRumors Staff
Epic Games is the software company behind the massively popular game Fortnite, as well as creator of the Unreal Engine game engine that is used by numerous other game developers.

Epic became a major focus of the Apple news scene in mid-2020 when the company deployed a direct payment option for Fortnite's in-game currency, in violation of App Store and Google Play rules.

The situation escalated, with Apple quickly pulling Fortnite from the App Store and terminating Epic's developer account. Lawsuits were filed on both sides, and the situation continues to play out with Fortnite still missing from the App Store.

Read more in our timeline of events surrounding the ongoing dispute.

Epic Games Articles

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Epic Games Accuses Apple of Charging 'Unjustified Fees' for Required Non-App Store Purchase Link

Wednesday March 13, 2024 1:14 pm PDT by
Epic Games is once again after Apple, this time accusing the Cupertino company of violating a court ruling that requires Apple to allow developers to offer in-app links to direct customers to third-party purchase options on the web. Apple tweaked its U.S. App Store policies back in January, and developers are permitted to put one link in their apps that leads to a website where customers can ...
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Apple Reinstates Epic Games EU Developer Account, Paving the Way for Alternative App Store

Friday March 8, 2024 9:29 am PST by
Apple today reversed a decision to shut down Epic Games' developer account in the European Union, and the account has now been reinstated. In a statement to MacRumors, Apple said that Epic Games has committed to following the rules, allowing Epic Sweden to be reaccepted into the Apple Developer Program. Following conversations with Epic, they have committed to follow the rules, including our ...
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EU Probes Apple's Decision to Shut Down Epic's Developer Account

Thursday March 7, 2024 12:48 am PST by
The European Commission has requested "further explanations" from Apple over its decision yesterday to terminate the developer account of Epic Games, the Financial Times reports. The EC said it was investigating under the Digital Markets Act (DMA), a new law aimed at curbing the power of the biggest online platforms. Tech companies faced a March 7 deadline to comply with the legislation. The ...
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Apple Explains Why It Terminated Epic's Latest Developer Account

Wednesday March 6, 2024 8:40 am PST by
Apple today said it has terminated Epic Games Sweden's developer account worldwide due to the game developer's pattern of untrustworthy behavior. Apple shared the following statement with MacRumors:Epic's egregious breach of its contractual obligations to Apple led courts to determine that Apple has the right to terminate "any or all of Epic Games' wholly owned subsidiaries, affiliates,...
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Spotify, Epic Games, and Others Argue Apple's App Store Changes Do Not Comply With DMA

Friday March 1, 2024 10:15 am PST by
Spotify, Epic Games, Deezer, Paddle, and several other developers and EU associations today sent a joint letter to the European Commission to complain about Apple's "proposed scheme for compliance" with the Digital Markets Act (DMA). The 34 companies and associations do not believe Apple's plans "meet the law's requirements." Apple's changes "disregard both the spirit and letter of the law"...
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Apple Failed to Comply With App Store Court Order, Epic Tells Judge

Wednesday January 31, 2024 2:40 am PST by
Apple has failed to properly comply with a court order that requires non-App Store purchasing options be made available to third-party developers, Epic Games has told a judge (via Bloomberg). The Supreme Court earlier this month declined to hear separate requests from both Apple and ‌‌Epic Games‌‌ in their three-year-long lawsuit against each other regarding App Store rules. As a result,...
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Fortnite to Return to iOS in Europe Following App Store Changes

Thursday January 25, 2024 11:57 am PST by
Epic Games plans to bring its ‌Epic Games‌ Store to the iPhone and the iPad under Apple's new alternative app store policy in the European Union, ‌Epic Games‌ announced today. The ‌Epic Games‌ Store will include popular game Fortnite, which means ‌iPhone‌ and ‌iPad‌ users will be able to install and play the title without having to use a cloud gaming service. Fortnite has been banned from...
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Apple Wants $73.4 Million From Epic Games to Cover Its Legal Expenses

Wednesday January 17, 2024 3:14 am PST by
Apple wants Epic Games to pay $73.4 million in legal fees after Apple won the antitrust case brought against it by the North Carolinian games maker. On Tuesday, the Supreme Court declined to hear separate requests from both Apple and ‌Epic Games‌ in their long-standing lawsuit against each other regarding App Store rules, effectively closing a case that has run since August 2020. In multiple ...
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US Supreme Court Declines to Hear Apple vs. Epic Games Case

Tuesday January 16, 2024 5:52 am PST by
The United States Supreme Court today declined to hear separate requests from both Apple and Epic Games in their long-standing lawsuit against each other with regards to App Store rules. Apple made the request in September 2023, asking the Supreme Court to hear its appeal about the portion of its legal dispute that was ruled in Epic's favor. This was Apple's so-called "anti-steering" rule...
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Epic Games Wins Antitrust Lawsuit Against Google Play Store

Tuesday December 12, 2023 2:41 am PST by
Epic Games has won its antitrust lawsuit against Google, after the nine-member jury in the case unanimously agreed that the tech giant abused its power by operating an app store monopoly and charging developers unduly high fees. The unanimous verdict came after three hours of deliberation following a four-week trial looking into Google's Play store. Among Epic's allegations were that Google...
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Epic Games Lays Off Over 800 Employees as Apple Legal Battle Drags On

Thursday September 28, 2023 11:54 am PDT by
Epic Games, the company behind popular video game Fortnite, is laying off 830 employees or approximately 16 percent of its workforce. The layoffs come amid Epic's ongoing legal battle with Apple, which started way back in 2020. Just this week, ‌Epic Games‌ asked the Supreme Court to hear the case, a request that follows two major losses and likely hundreds of thousands or more in legal fees. ‌...
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Apple Appeals Epic Games Ruling Over 'Anti-Steering' Provisions to U.S. Supreme Court

Thursday September 28, 2023 7:52 am PDT by
Just a day after Epic Games appealed one portion of its legal dispute with Apple to the U.S. Supreme Court, Apple has now done the same for the portion that was ruled in Epic's favor, reports Bloomberg. The dispute between Apple and Epic dates back to 2020 with Epic seeking to overturn Apple's App Store rules requiring content purchases within iOS apps to go through Apple, which takes a 15%...
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Epic Games Asks Supreme Court to Hear Apple Case

Wednesday September 27, 2023 2:44 pm PDT by
Epic Games today filed a petition for a writ of certiorari with the Supreme Court, which basically means the company is asking the Supreme Court to make a ruling in its ongoing legal battle with Apple. The Supreme Court is the last stop for ‌Epic Games‌ after it lost an appeal earlier this year. The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in April 2023 sided with the lower court and ruled that...
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Apple Doesn't Have to Change App Store Rules Yet, Rules Supreme Court in Ongoing Epic Dispute

Wednesday August 9, 2023 9:43 am PDT by
Apple does not need to change its "anti-steering" App Store rules while its legal dispute with Epic Games continues to play out, the U.S. Supreme Court decided today. Apple can maintain the ‌App Store‌ rules as is while the Supreme Court considers its appeal, according to Bloomberg Law. Apple's anti-steering rules prevent developers from directing customers to make purchases for digital...
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Judge Lets Apple Further Delay Implementing App Store Rule Changes From Ongoing Epic Dispute

Monday July 17, 2023 2:09 pm PDT by
Apple does not yet have to implement changes to its "anti-steering" App Store rules that would allow developers to direct customers to purchase options outside the ‌App Store‌. As noted by The Verge, Apple was today granted a motion that prevents it from having to make ‌App Store‌ changes for 90 days, giving the company time to ask the Supreme Court to hear the case. Apple and Epic Games...
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Epic Games Loses Again in Battle With Apple Over App Store Rules

Monday April 24, 2023 10:55 am PDT by
Epic Games and Apple have been fighting over Apple's App Store rules since 2020, when ‌Epic Games‌ opted to blatantly violate the guidelines that prevent apps from avoiding the in-app purchase system. ‌Epic Games‌ did so with the aim of kicking off a long legal battle, but it has not gone in Epic's favor. In 2021, the judge overseeing the case sided with Apple, concluding that Apple was not...
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Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney Teases Fortnite Returning to iOS in 2023 as Legal Battle Continues

Monday January 2, 2023 4:09 am PST by
Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney has teased a return of Fortnite to iOS in 2023, nearly three years after the best-selling game was removed from the App Store for violating platform rules, marking the start of a contentious and high-profile legal battle. In a tweet to celebrate the new year, Sweeney said, "Next year on iOS!" followed by an image of a Fortnite character looking up at fireworks that ...
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Apple and Epic Games Return to Court to Fight Over App Store Rules

Monday November 14, 2022 11:44 am PST by
The ongoing legal battle between Apple and Epic Games resumed today, with lawyers for both companies meeting in the United States Court of Appeals to attempt to get the initial ruling from last year overturned. The ‌Epic Games‌ v. Apple saga started way back in 2020 when ‌Epic Games‌ started allowing Fortnite players to make purchases directly in the app, skirting the in-app purchase rules....
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Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney Criticizes Apple Over App Store Price Increases

Wednesday October 5, 2022 10:21 am PDT by
Apple is today beginning to implement App Store pricing increases across all territories and countries that use the euro, with the hike attributed to the euro's weakness against the U.S. dollar. Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney, whose company is currently embroiled in a legal battle with Apple, spoke up on the price update and said Apple had no justification for it. In a statement, Sweeney likened ...
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Apple Argues to Get App Store Injunction Thrown Out in Epic v. Apple Appeal

Friday July 15, 2022 10:37 am PDT by
Apple today submitted its final filing in the ongoing Apple v. Epic legal battle, which is playing out in the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. Both Apple and Epic Games chose to appeal the original ruling as neither company was satisfied with the outcome. The appeal battle has been ongoing since January, but it is wrapping up with Apple's cross-appeal brief, which...