Epic Games

By MacRumors Staff

Epic Games is the software company behind the massively popular game Fortnite, as well as creator of the Unreal Engine game engine that is used by numerous other game developers.

Epic became a major focus of the Apple news scene in mid-2020 when the company deployed a direct payment option for Fortnite's in-game currency, in violation of App Store and Google Play rules.

The situation escalated, with Apple quickly pulling Fortnite from the App Store and terminating Epic's developer account. Lawsuits were filed on both sides, and the situation continues to play out with Fortnite still missing from the App Store.

Read more in our timeline of events surrounding the ongoing dispute.

Epic Games Articles

Epic Games CEO Renews Attack on Apple and Calls for Single, Universal App Store

Tuesday November 16, 2021 3:31 am PST by

Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney has today renewed his attack on Apple and called for a single, universal app store that works across all platforms (via Bloomberg). Last year, Epic's popular game "Fortnite" became the subject of heated litigation with Apple and Google over the rate of commission on in-app purchases. After Epic broke App Store rules by implementing a direct payment option, the game ...

Apple Files Appeal in Epic Games Lawsuit, Asks to Delay App Store Changes

Friday October 8, 2021 5:17 pm PDT by Juli Clover

Apple has opted to appeal the ruling meted out by Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers in the Epic Games vs. Apple lawsuit back in September, and today filed a notice of appeal with the United States District Court for the Northern District of California. The Cupertino company is planning to appeal the ruling that would require it to change its App Store rules to allow developers to add in-app links ...

Windows Microsoft Store Adds Support for Alternate App Stores Like Epic Games

Tuesday September 28, 2021 10:38 am PDT by Juli Clover

Microsoft today announced that it is opening up the Microsoft Store for Windows to third-party storefront apps, including the Epic Games Store and the Amazon Appstore. Epic and Amazon's stores will be discoverable on the Microsoft Store for Windows and can be downloaded like any other app. As a reason for the change, Microsoft said that it wants to ensure that its "business terms are fair"...

Epic Games Pays Apple $6 Million as Ordered by Court

Monday September 13, 2021 4:31 pm PDT by Juli Clover

Epic Games today paid Apple $6,000,000 in royalties, ‌Epic Games‌ CEO Tim Sweeney said on Twitter. As part of the ruling in the ongoing Epic v. Apple legal battle, Epic was last week ordered by the court to pay 30 percent of the revenue that it collected from the Fortnite app using its illicit direct payment option. Back at the start of the dispute between Epic and Apple, Epic added a direct ...

Epic Wins Appeal to Continue Antitrust Case Against Apple in Australia

Australia's Federal Court has permitted Epic Games to sue Apple, reversing a previous ruling that said the two companies had to battle it out in the United States first before any legal action could take place Down Under. Epic and Apple are involved in a highly public lawsuit in the United States, but Epic has also sued Apple in other countries, including Australia last November, in an...

Epic Games v. Apple Trial Wraps Up, But We Likely Won't Know the Outcome for Months

Monday May 24, 2021 5:58 pm PDT by Juli Clover

The three week Epic Games v. Apple trial wrapped up today, with a series of debates that were held in lieu of traditional closing arguments. The wrap up follows Apple CEO Tim Cook's testimony last week, which saw him grilled by Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers on Apple's App Store policies. As outlined by Protocol, at the conclusion of the trial, Rogers aimed to get at the heart of the dispute...

Judge Grills Tim Cook on App Store Policies as End of of Epic Games v. Apple Trial Approaches

Friday May 21, 2021 1:48 pm PDT by Juli Clover

Apple CEO Tim Cook testified in the Epic Games v. Apple trial today, and some of the final questioning by Judge Yvonne Gonzalez-Rogers did not appear to go in Apple's favor. She spent several minutes grilling Cook on Apple's App Store policies and some of the statements that he made. "You said you want to give users control, so what's the problem with allowing users to have a cheaper option...

Apple CEO Tim Cook Testifies in Epic Games v. Apple Trial

Friday May 21, 2021 9:48 am PDT by Juli Clover

Today is the one of the last days of the Epic Games v. Apple trial, and Apple CEO Tim Cook has taken the stand to ask questions levied by both Apple and Epic lawyers. Cook's testimony won't be integral to the outcome of the trial, but what he has to say is of interest because this is the first time that he's testified in a legal case, which highlights the serious nature of this dispute....

Apple's Craig Federighi: Mac Not Meeting the Bar for Customer Protection

Wednesday May 19, 2021 1:41 pm PDT by Juli Clover

Apple software engineering chief Craig Federighi is testifying in the ongoing Apple v. Epic games trial this afternoon, providing details about iPhone security to convince the judge that any change to the App Store policies would be detrimental to ‌iPhone‌ users. Epic Games wants the judge to force Apple to allow multiple app stores on iOS, similar to how it works on Mac, which would allow...

Apple Earned Over $100 Million From Fortnite

Wednesday May 19, 2021 1:02 pm PDT by Juli Clover

Apple collected more than $100 million in revenue from the 30 percent cut that it takes from Fortnite in-app purchases, according to testimony provided by App Store gaming business development head Michael Schmid, who shared the detail in the ongoing Epic v. Apple trial. As noted by Bloomberg, Schmid offered the $100 million figure as a rough estimate, and declined to provide a specific...

Apple's Phil Schiller Takes the Stand in Epic Games v. Apple Trial

Monday May 17, 2021 1:17 pm PDT by Juli Clover

Today marked the kickoff of the third week of the Epic Games v. Apple trial, and this week is notable because Epic has finished with its witnesses and we're now transitioning to Apple witnesses, including notable Apple executives. Apple Fellow and former marketing chief Phil Schiller, who is in charge of the App Store, took the stand today. Schiller will testify for up to nine hours, and...

Tim Cook 'Practicing for Hours' Ahead of Epic Games Testimony Expected This Week

Monday May 17, 2021 5:17 am PDT by Sami Fathi

So far, Apple CEO Tim Cook has taken a backseat in defending Apple as it faces a significant legal battle with Epic Games regarding the App Store. While the CEO has commented on the platform in the past, for the first time this week, ‌Tim Cook‌ will take center stage in his company's battle with ‌Epic Games‌. Apple in March submitted its list of executives that will testify during the trial...

Judge in Epic vs. Apple Case Floats Potential Compromise

Wednesday May 12, 2021 4:54 pm PDT by Juli Clover

In the ongoing legal battle between Apple and Epic Games, the two companies are this week calling up their expert witnesses to argue their points before Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers, who will make a decision in the case after a three week trial. Expert testimony is not as exciting as some of the leaked App Store documents that were highlighted last week, especially as much of what's being...

Apple Rejected Approximately 35% of Apps Submitted to App Store Between 2017 and 2019

Friday May 7, 2021 1:30 pm PDT by Juli Clover

The ongoing Epic Games v. Apple trial continues to provide insight into Apple's App Store processes, with documents today offering up details on the number of apps submitted to the ‌App Store‌ and rejected by Apple's review processes. Apple received an average of five million app submissions per year between 2017 and 2019, and between 33 and 35 percent of apps submitted were rejected by...

Apple Offered Special App Store API Access to Hulu and Other Developers

Thursday May 6, 2021 1:42 pm PDT by Juli Clover

Today is the fourth day of the Epic Games v. Apple legal battle, and documents shared in the trial continue to give us insight into the App Store and Apple's business practices. ‌App Store‌ Vice President Matt Fischer is on the stand answering questions from Apple and Epic lawyers, and one of the emails shared as evidence confirms that Apple has established special deals with major app...

Apple Discussed 'Punitive Measures' Against Netflix for Dropping In-App Purchases

Wednesday May 5, 2021 12:03 pm PDT by Juli Clover

As the Epic Games v. Apple trial progresses into its third day, Apple's internal documents and communications with various companies are continuing to surface, giving us some insight into the dealings that Apple has had around the App Store. Back in December 2018, Netflix stopped offering in-app subscription options for new or resubscribing members and instead began requiring them to sign up ...