Apple says it will not make exceptions for Epic Games

By Giovanni Colantonio Published September 17, 2020

Apple fired back at Epic Games after the Fortnite developer announced that it was seeking a temporary restraining order against Apple. In a statement, Apple explained that it “won’t make an exception for Epic.”

“The App Store is designed to be a safe and trusted place for users and a great business opportunity for all developers,” Apple said. “Epic has been one of the most successful developers on the App Store, growing into a multibillion-dollar business that reaches millions of iOS customers around the world. We very much want to keep the company as part of the Apple Developer Program and their apps on the Store.”

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Despite mounting legal pressure from Epic Games, Apple says it won’t reverse its decisions until Epic Games updates Fortnite to comply with App Store policies.

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“The problem Epic has created for itself is one that can easily be remedied if they submit an update of their app that reverts it to comply with the guidelines they agreed to and which apply to all developers,” the Apple statement continues. “We won’t make an exception for Epic because we don’t think it’s right to put their business interests ahead of the guidelines that protect our customers.”

The statement comes one day after Epic Games revealed that Apple intended to stop the studio’s access to developer tools at the end of the month. According to Epic, the move would harm the Unreal Engine’s viability and hurt third-party developers.

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Giovanni Colantonio

Senior Gaming Editor

As Digital Trends' Senior Gaming Editor, Giovanni Colantonio oversees all things video games at Digital Trends. As a veteran…

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