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Apple blocks Fortnite maker Epic from App Store amid ongoing legal battle

The move means those with iPhones and iPads will no longer be able to download Fortnite. Photo: Chris Delmas / AFP via Getty
The move means those with iPhones and iPads will no longer be able to download Fortnite. Photo: Chris Delmas / AFP via Getty

In the latest development as the Epic-Apple (AAPL) battle heats up, the tech giant has moved to terminate Fortnite developer, Epic Games from its App Store amid an ongoing legal battle between the two firms.

It comes after Fortnite previously offered a discount on its virtual currency from purchases made outside the app, from which Apple gets a 30% cut, which prompted Apple to boot the game from its store.

Earlier this year, Epic Games, sued Apple after its move to pull Fortnite from the App Store, with Epic saying the 30% fee is unfair and accused the tech firm of abusing its market power.

Anyone with an iPhone or iPad is now unable to download the hugely popular game, with immediate effect, meaning Epic can no longer make apps or updates for the iPhone or iPad.

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"We are disappointed that we have had to terminate the Epic Games account on the App Store."

"We have worked with the team at Epic Games for many years on their launches and releases. The court recommended that Epic comply with the App Store guidelines while their case moves forward, guidelines they've followed for the past decade until they created this situation. Epic has refused.

“Instead they repeatedly submit Fortnite updates designed to violate the guidelines of the App Store. This is not fair to all other developers on the App Store and is putting customers in the middle of their fight. We hope that we can work together again in the future, but unfortunately that is not possible today”, Apple said in a statement.

Earlier this week, a US federal district court judge ordered Apple not to block Epic’s Unreal Engine for developers, but upheld the Fortnite ban, stating it could stay out the App Store until it complied with the rules.

Apple is no stranger to mounting pressure over how it runs its App Store, and it’s not the first time that a developer takes issue with its fee structure, in June an email app called Hey also took a stance against it.

The European Union has launched and investigation to determine whether Apple’s App Store breaches competition rules.