Epic Games will reportedly sue Apple and Google after both removed the developer’s mega-hit game Fortnite off their respective app stores over payment disputes.
The dispute is over Fortnite using a direct payment system, circumventing Apple’s and Google’s payments systems in the process and the up to 30% charge Apple and Google levy on each transaction.
Epic’s lawsuit accuses Apple of being a “monopolist” and a “behemoth seeking to control markets, block competition and stifle innovation.”
“Apple is bigger, more powerful, more entrenched and more pernicious than monopolies of yesteryear,” Epic says in the suit. “Apple’s size and reach far exceeds that of any technology monopolist in history.”
Epic’s statement against Google alleges the tech giant of breaking promises and abandoning its core values.
“In 1998, Google was founded as an exciting young company with a unique motto: ‘Don’t Be Evil,'” reads the complaint. “Twenty-two years later, Google has relegated its motto to nearly an afterthought, and is using its size to do evil upon competitors, innovators, customers, and users in a slew of markets it has grown to monopolize.”
Apple had issued a statement last week justifying Fortnite’s removal and accusing Epic Games of breaking Apple’s guidelines. “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.”
Google also cited the same reason, but are still open to having a dialogue sorting the whole conflict. “While Fortnite remains available on Android, we can no longer make it available on Play because it violates our policies,” a Google spokesman said. “However, we welcome the opportunity to continue our discussions with Epic and bring Fortnite back to Google Play.”