Apple Says Epic Games ‘Wants Us to Be Android, But We Don’t Want to Be’

The highly-anticipated Epic Games vs. Apple trial started today in a federal court in Oakland, California, with attorneys for both companies providing opening remarks prior to District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers.
Legal Representatives for Epic Games tried to paint the App Store as monopolistic and anti-competitive, noting that designers are forced to use Apples in-app purchase system, and thus pay Apple a 30% commission on sales. (The rate drops to 15% for subscriptions after the first year and for qualifying developers who register for Apples new Small Business Program and make less than $1 million per calendar year in net income.).
Impressive Games explained the App Store as a “walled garden” and provided e-mails from existing and previous Apple executives like Steve Jobs, Phil Schiller, Craig Federighi, Eddy Cue, and Scott Forstall in an attempt to show this claim.
Impressive Games desires Apple to be forced to enable third-party app shops on iOS and to let developers use direct payment systems, but Apple argued that a single, highly-curated App Store is necessary to secure the security, privacy, dependability, and quality that clients have concerned expect from the company.
” Epic wants us to be Android, but we dont wish to be,” said Apple lawyer Karen Dunn, describing the ability to sideload apps outside of the Google Play shop on Android devices. “Our consumers dont desire that either,” she added.
Impressive Games is the developer of popular fight royale video game Fortnite, which Apple got rid of from the App Store in August 2020, quickly after Epic Games slyly introduced a direct payment alternative in the app, in defiance of the App Store guidelines. Legendary Games then submitted a managed suit against Apple, accusing the company of anti-competitive behavior.
At the time, Apple stated Epic Games “took the unfortunate step of breaking the App Store guidelines that are used equally to every developer and designed to keep the store safe for our users,” adding that it would “make every effort to work with Epic to solve these violations so they can return Fortnite to the App Store.” Epic Games has declined to cooperate, however, and Fortnite stays not available on the App Store.
Legendary Games CEO Tim Sweeney affirmed at the trial today, saying that by introducing the direct payment alternative, he desired consumers to see that Apple works out “total control” over iOS and software readily available on the platform.
The trial is anticipated to continue for an overall of 3 weeks, with Apples CEO Tim Cook and other executives anticipated to affirm.