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

The highly-anticipated Epic Games vs. Apple trial began today in a federal court in Oakland, California, with lawyers for both companies providing opening remarks before District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers.
Attorneys for Epic Games tried to paint the App Store as monopolistic and anti-competitive, noting that developers are required to utilize Apples in-app purchase system, and hence pay Apple a 30% commission on sales. (The rate drops to 15% for memberships after the very first year and for qualifying designers who register for Apples new Small Business Program and make less than $1 million per calendar year in net revenue.).
Legendary Games explained the App Store as a “walled garden” and presented e-mails from former and current Apple executives like Steve Jobs, Phil Schiller, Craig Federighi, Eddy Cue, and Scott Forstall in an attempt to show this claim.
Legendary Games wants Apple to be required to allow 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 essential to secure the security, personal privacy, reliability, and quality that clients have actually come to anticipate from the company.
” Epic desires us to be Android, however we dont desire to be,” said Apple legal representative Karen Dunn, referring to the capability to sideload apps beyond the Google Play shop on Android devices. “Our customers dont desire that either,” she added.
Impressive Games is the creator of popular fight royale game Fortnite, which Apple got rid of from the App Store in August 2020, shortly after Epic Games slyly presented a direct payment choice in the app, in defiance of the App Store rules. Legendary Games then submitted an orchestrated lawsuit versus Apple, accusing the company of anti-competitive behavior.
At the time, Apple said Epic Games “took the regrettable step of violating the App Store standards that are used similarly to every designer and created to keep the store safe for our users,” adding that it would “strive to deal with Epic to resolve these infractions so they can return Fortnite to the App Store.” Impressive Games has refused to comply, nevertheless, and Fortnite remains not available on the App Store.
Impressive Games CEO Tim Sweeney affirmed at the trial today, saying that by presenting the direct payment alternative, he wanted customers to see that Apple works out “overall control” over iOS and software offered on the platform.
The trial is anticipated to continue for an overall of 3 weeks, with Apples CEO Tim Cook and other executives expected to affirm.