Apple vs. Epic Games Case: Returns to Overturn Initial Ruling—Is ‘Fortnite’ Coming Back?

Apple Inc. and Epic Games Inc. have gone back to the United States court to battle their issues with one another, centering on the initial lawsuit regarding the App Store's policies which kicked "Fortnite" off in 2020. Both aim to overturn the initial court ruling and aim to present a case against each other, centering on Apple's antitrust as Epic's silver bullet.

The initial lawsuit ended with Epic Games getting its third-party or alternative payment options approved for the App Store, but was not given the chance to bring back "Fortnite" to the mobile.

Apple vs. Epic Games: The Return to Overturn

The return of one of the most controversial cases in Big Tech resumed earlier, this November 14, when Apple and Epic Games' legal teams face each other in front of the United States Court of Appeals in San Fransisco.

Both parties made their return in the case to overturn the initial ruling which Epic Games lost, but also achieved something massive for all developers in the App Store.

The court previously ruled that there should be a third-party payment option for Apple's App Store, something which Epic Games previously centered on with "Fortnite" before its ban.

According to MacRumors, Apple is back to appeal against this court decision and wants to keep its original setup of payments for the platform, all coming in via Cupertino's channels.

Is 'Fortnite' Coming Back to the App Store?

Despite Epic Games getting a small win with the third-party payment option for the App Store last year, it still faced a ban for "Fortnite" via the Apple platform, and users of iOS still cannot access the game. "Fortnite's" return to the App Store is one of the most anticipated happenings in this case, but that is yet to happen until now, with Apple blocking its entry.

Apple and Epic Games' Feud

Epic Games started this feud as it continued with its plan that violated the App Store ruling regarding third-party payment options for "Fortnite." In 2020, Apple banned "Fortnite" on the platform, and started the back-and-forth dispute from both camps, with Epic Games ultimately creating a video bashing the Cupertino giant with "Nineteen-Eighty-Fortnite."

The course of events centered on hearing the sides of both parties, with lawyers from each company arguing its case to the court, aiming to best each other.

However, it was not what both expected to turn out in its initial ruling, with Epic Games getting its awaited third-party payment option available for all developers, apps, and games via the App Store. The only problem is "Fortnite" remains banned from its return to the platform, and Epic's CEO went as far as to call Apple a "monopoly."

Both are still unsatisfied with the initial ruling and have now returned to face each other on the Court of Appeals, where another round of the Apple vs. Epic Games feud will bring different views regarding the issue. Apple wants no change for the App Store and its rule for all payments to pass through them, having a commission for every in-app purchase, but Epic wants to center on its third-party option.

This article is owned by TechTimes

Written by Isaiah Richard