Fortnite Maker Will Appeal Apple Antitrust Ruling

Epic Games, the company behind the wildly popular video game Fortnite, says it will appeal last week’s ruling in the company’s federal antitrust case against Apple, Reuters reported on Sunday (Sept.12).

While last Friday’s ruling ordered Apple to relax some of its rules governing developers, the decision also went in Apple’s favor on nine out of 10 counts, allowing Apple to continue charging 15-30% for its in-app payment system.

Read more: Apple Can’t Force In-App Purchasing

The trial began in May, with Epic and Apple battling over Apple’s App Store policies and the question of whether the larger company hamstrings competition. Epic had indicated that it would appeal before the ruling even came down, as Apple did.

As Reuters noted, analysts say the impact of the ruling could depend on how Apple addresses the judge’s decision. Critics of the company say that Apple is more likely to seek legislative redress to get the changes it wants.

Apple recently settled a 2019 class-action suit by developers, allowing them to connect directly with end-users through email and offer alternative payment options as those users purchase subscriptions and other products.

Epic has been one of Apple’s toughest critics when it comes to the iPhone App Store, which imposes strict rules and requires many developers to use an in-app payment system.

Also see: Apple Rejects Fortnite’s Bid for App Store Return in South Korea

Last week’s ruling arrived at the same time that Apple rejected a request by Epic to reinstate Fortnite in the App Store, ahead of a landmark law in South Korea that gives app developers the right to offer their own methods of payment.

South Korea is the first country to pass laws governing how payments can be processed in Apple’s App Store and Google’s Play Store. The country’s National Assembly passed an amendment to the Telecommunications Business Act — called the “Anti-Google law” — last month. It is scheduled to go into effect on Wednesday (Sept. 15.).