Epic Games, owner of Fortnite, is suing Apple and Google after the popular video game was removed from Apple’s App Store due to a payment method dispute.
The game was taken down from the digital marketplace on Thursday after developers added a new way for users to buy extras within it.
The new method allows users to bypass Apple’s in-app payment process and buy extras directly from the app at a discounted price. Using Apple’s internal system gives Apple 30% of the purchase and the owner of the app the remaining 70%. This new form of payment allows Epic Games to bypass that deal and take in 100% of the profit.
The gaming company points out that other apps on Apple’s devices, such as Uber, DoorDash, and Amazon, use internal payment systems. They, therefore, get to bypass the revenue split.
“Clearly Apple and Google acknowledge that third party payment services are safe and acceptable for goods and services,” Epic Games said in a blog post on Thursday. “Epic direct payment simply offers players the same kinds of payment options as these other apps.”
Epic Games is asking the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California to issue “an injunction prohibiting Apple’s anti-competitive conduct and mandating that Apple take all necessary steps to cease unlawful conduct and to restore competition” and award “a declaration that the contractual and policy restraints complained of herein are unlawful and unenforceable.”
In its lawsuit against Google, Epic Games claims the tech giant was abandoning its “don’t be evil” motto.
“In 1998, Google was founded as an exciting young company with a unique motto: ‘Don’t Be Evil,'” a copy of the lawsuit, obtained by CNET, said. “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.”
In a statement to the Verge before the lawsuit was announced, Apple wrote, “Today, Epic Games took the unfortunate step of violating the App Store guidelines that are applied equally to every developer and designed to keep the store safe for our users.”
Apple added that Epic has benefited greatly from the App Store ecosystem, including its tools, testing, and distribution it gives to developers. The company also said Epic agreed to the App Store’s terms and guidelines freely.
“The fact that their business interests now lead them to push for a special arrangement does not change the fact that these guidelines create a level playing field for all developers and make the store safe for all users,” Apple said. “We will make every effort to work with Epic to resolve these violations so they can return Fortnite to the App Store.”
A Google spokesman said it removed Fortnite on Play because it violated its policies, but the company could have conversations with Epic to try and bring it back.
“While Fortnite remains available on Android, we can no longer make it available on Play because it violates our policies,” the spokesman said. “However, we welcome the opportunity to continue our discussions with Epic and bring Fortnite back to Google Play.”
