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

The highly-anticipated Epic Games vs. Apple trial kicked off today in a federal court in Oakland, California, with attorneys for both companies delivering opening remarks prior to District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers.
Lawyers for Epic Games attempted to paint the App Store as anti-competitive and monopolistic, keeping in mind that developers are required to use Apples in-app purchase system, and thus pay Apple a 30% commission on sales. (The rate drops to 15% for memberships after the very first year and for certifying developers who sign up for Apples brand-new Small Business Program and make less than $1 million per fiscal year in net earnings.).
Epic Games explained the App Store as a “walled garden” and presented e-mails from previous and existing Apple executives like Steve Jobs, Phil Schiller, Craig Federighi, Eddy Cue, and Scott Forstall in an effort to prove this claim.
Epic Games desires Apple to be required to enable third-party app stores on iOS and to let designers provide direct payment systems, but Apple argued that a single, highly-curated App Store is required to safeguard the security, personal privacy, reliability, and quality that clients have actually concerned anticipate from the company.
” Epic desires us to be Android, however we do not desire to be,” said Apple attorney Karen Dunn, describing the ability to sideload apps outside of the Google Play shop on Android devices. “Our customers dont want that either,” she added.
Impressive Games is the developer of popular fight royale game Fortnite, which Apple eliminated from the App Store in August 2020, soon after Epic Games slyly presented a direct payment alternative in the app, in defiance of the App Store rules. Epic Games then submitted an orchestrated claim against Apple, accusing the company of anti-competitive habits.
At the time, Apple said Epic Games “took the regrettable action of breaching the App Store standards that are used similarly to every developer and developed to keep the shop safe for our users,” adding that it would “strive to work with Epic to resolve these violations so they can return Fortnite to the App Store.” Epic Games has actually declined to comply, nevertheless, and Fortnite stays unavailable on the App Store.
Legendary Games CEO Tim Sweeney affirmed at the trial today, stating that by presenting the direct payment option, he desired customers to see that Apple works out “overall control” over iOS and software application available on the platform.
The trial is expected to continue for an overall of 3 weeks, with Apples CEO Tim Cook and other executives expected to testify.