Epic Games and Google both headed to Courts with their Requests

Epic Games and Google

Epic Games filed the motion on Friday, a motion that would see Fortnite and Epic’s developers account restored! Apple and Google answer will follow I guess.

The courts are busy nowadays to sort things out between some of the big guns of the gaming industry, yes I am talking about Apple versus Epic and Google’s resorting to court. The trust in the gaming industry is hitting a new low especially between Epic Games and Apple as the trust between both of them is hitting a new rock bottom every passing day. The Unreal Engine firm has filed another preliminary injunction against Apple to stop them from retaliating.

Epic is positive as it has partially won the previous preliminary injunction preventing Apple from blocking Unreal Engine on iOS. The partial success came after Epic’s argument that it would damage the many third party developers that use it.

Now, Epic seeks to prevent Apple from blocking or removing any other Epic app. The request also includes the protection of updates on all of its apps. Currently, Epic is unable to update Fortnite on iOS, which means that there are no new game events for iOS users, sad state of affairs for Epic as well as its fans and consumers on iOS.

Another important point was to stop Apple from “taking any adverse action against Epic,” pointing towards the suspension or termination of its Developer Program account. And the last point to restrain Apple from changing or disabling Fortnite’s code on iOS.

Epic is positive that Fortnite will be reinstated before the full hearing which is scheduled for 28 September. On the contrary, Apple is adamant that Epic won’t be allowed a new developer account for at least a year, this will surely prove to be a big blow as there are one billion-plus iOS users and Epic won’t be able to get access to even a single new user.

While on the other hand, Google is gearing up for evasion from the ongoing case between Epic and Apple by preventing the US District Courts to bring them in. Google is of the view that “Although Android and iOS compete to attract app developers and end-users, Google and Apple use different business models, agreements and policies to support competing ecosystems.”

A key difference between Apple and Android is that the distribution of apps in the case of Apple is only via its own Appstore. While that is not the case with Android, it can have multiple app stores.

Google was brought into the mess when Epic filed a lawsuit against it after Google removed Fortnite from its app stores; retaliation from Google after Epic’s introduction of a direct payment system avoiding the 30% fee that is applied on all transactions for apps distributed by these stores.

An interesting report from Sensor Tower Data shows that Epic had to bear a huge brunt due to Fortnite’s ban on the App Store when compared to the ban from Google Play.

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