Epic Games files lawsuit against Apple, Google over Fortnite banishment

Epic Games has filed a lawsuit against Apple and Google following the removal of its widely popular battle royale game Fortnite from their app stores over direct payment disputes.

Last week, Epic Games rolled out an update which allowed players to directly purchase various in game items like weapons and skins from their system, preventing the two tech giants from collecting their 30 percent commission on each transaction.

“Currently, when using Apple and Google payment options, Apple and Google collect a 30 percent fee, and the up to 20 percent price drop does not apply,” Epic Games said in a blog post. “If Apple or Google lower their fees on payments in the future, Epic will pass along the savings to you.”

However, the two tech giants said that Epic Games’ decision to introduce a direct payment scheme violated their guidelines.

“Today, Epic Games took the unfortunate step of violating the App Store guidelines that are applied equally to every developer and designed to keep the store safe for our users,” Apple said in a statement. “Epic enabled a feature in its app which was not reviewed or approved by Apple, and they did so with the express intent of violating the App Store guidelines regarding in-app payments that apply to every developer who sells digital goods or services.”

After Apple and Google removed Fortnite from their app stores, Epic Games quickly made its move and filed separate lawsuits against the two tech giants. The developer also took a special aim at Apple after it released a parody video of the company’s commercial in 1984.

You can watch the video here:

“Apple’s removal of Fortnite is yet another example of Apple flexing its enormous power in order to impose unreasonable restraints and unlawfully maintain its 100 percent monopoly over the iOS in-app payment processing market,” Epic Games said in a statement.