Epic Games took on a giant when it launched a case against creator of iOS Apple for keeping it from earning as much on sales in the store. According to Epic, this was proof of a monopoly, since Apple was controlling how much developers made on purchases across a number of apps. After appealing a previous loss, the Ninth Circuit has largely rejected that appeal.
The court largely upheld the previous ruling, according to Axios reporter Stephen Totilo today, with Epic losing most of the charges it brought. But the court upheld the ruling that Apple is in violation of anti-steering laws, which means it can no longer keep people from being pushed to other websites for purchases. One new update is that Epic might now have to pay Apple’s legal bill.
This is largely a decision many expected, with the court holding up almost all of the previous rulings. Epic is likely able to pay the legal fees without making a dent in its savings if that is enforced, so it seems like the only thing that might be damaged is Epic’s pride. This wouldn’t be clear from the tweets of CEO Tim Sweeney, who confirmed the results of the case, admitting Epic didn’t prove its case.
It’s unclear if this will be the resolution or if Epic has any more options up its sleeve. Many fans will likely be curious about whether or not Fortnite will come back to the App Store, but Apple could just as easily decide to keep it off its platform for good. Nothing is certain, however, and it’s possible fans might eventually see Fortnite back on their iOS devices.
