Epic Games And Apple Face Off in First Hearing

Epic Games and Apple finally met in court on Monday to begin their legal showdown. On a public Zoom call Monday, the two companies met to discuss Epic’s access to iOS developer accounts. The hearing would decide whether Epic would retain access to Unreal Engine while the trial continues. 

Apple vs. Epic Games

The Verge reports that Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers would issue an order quickly, after the hearing. She had not ruled immediately during the Zoom call. At first, Judge Rogers had said that she was going to protect the Unreal Engine. However, she wouldn’t revoke the Fortnite ban on the App Store. Judge Rogers also said there were no clear winners in the case.

‘Developers are fleeing the Unreal Engine,’ Epic tells court https://t.co/oKNVP9Qki1 pic.twitter.com/mKp0rTejUU

— The Verge (@verge) August 24, 2020

Apple’s Removal of Fortnite

Apple had removed Fortnite from the App Store on August 13. After Epic sued the company in response, Apple threatened to remove Epic’s access to the Unreal Engine. A lot of third-party game developers use the Unreal Engine to develop games. 

Microsoft had also come out in support of Epic Games. In a statement, Microsoft said that banning Epic from the Unreal Engine would put other developers at risk. The ban would also cause trouble for iOS versions of Microsoft games, like Forza.

Apple Defends Itself 

In its defense, Apple said it had the right to revoke developer access to iOS and remove them from the App Store. The company had stressed that Epic violated App Store policy by implementing direct payment. With a direct payment option, Epic skipped App Store’s in-app purchases and Apple’s 30% share.