Epic Games has won a battle of sorts in the war against Apple, with a US District judge ruling that Epic’s Unreal Engine can’t be blocked on Apple’s App Store while legal proceedings regarding Fortnite continue.
For those unaware, a dispute between Epic and Apple over in-app transactions inside Fortnite escalated when Apple threatened to revoke API access to Unreal Engine. The move would impact any developer that used the engine — and that’s a lot — on iOS.
Yesterday, a court ruled that Unreal Engine was to remain accessible on iOS while Apple and Epic duked it out over Fortnite.
“Epic Games and Apple are at liberty to litigate against each other, but their dispute should not create havoc to bystanders,” ruled US District Judge, Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers.
The win could easily be seen as one for Apple rather than Epic. The tech giant, via Bloomberg, said Epic’s situation is “entirely self-inflicted”.
“Our very first priority is making sure App Store users have a great experience in a safe and trusted environment, including iPhone users who play Fortnite and who are looking forward to the game’s next season,” a statement from Apple reads.
“We agree with Judge Gonzalez-Rogers that ‘the sensible way to proceed’ is for Epic to comply with the App Store guidelines and continue to operate while the case proceeds.”
We’ll keep you posted as the situation develops.
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