Epic Spends $1B Taking on Apple And Says It Was Worth It. But Where’s Fortnite? One Analyst Thinks It’s Not Coming Back.
The Legal Battle So Far
Epic Games and Apple have been locked in a courtroom showdown for five years, all starting when Epic sidestepped Apple’s in-app payment system in Fortnite, violating App Store rules. Apple promptly banned the game and revoked Epic’s developer account.
The Billion-Dollar Price Tag
In a recent interview with Business Insider, Epic CEO Tim Sweeney revealed just how costly the fight has been:
We’ve had legal bills in the matter of Epic vs. Apple of over $100 million. […] You could easily imagine that there’s been a billion dollars or more of impact to Epic in this time.
Lost revenue, legal costs, and missed opportunities with Fortnite on iOS, it’s a staggering price tag. But Sweeney says he has no regrets:
Freedom cannot be purchased at too dear a price. […] If it doesn’t change, Apple and Google will extract all of the profit from all apps forever.
What Epic Actually Won
Epic did score one key win: a judge ruled Apple must allow developers to offer alternate payment options. But Apple is appealing and has not reinstated Epic’s U.S. developer account, meaning Fortnite is still MIA from the App Store.
Will Fortnite Ever Return to iPhones?
Sweeney thinks it’ll be back “within days”, likely through a European workaround, but not everyone’s convinced.
Enter: John Gruber
Longtime Apple analyst John Gruber poured cold water on the optimism:
If Apple were going to allow Fortnite back into the App Store, they could have done so at any point in the last four years. […] I think Apple just stays the course and Fortnite remains persona non grata.
The 404 Take On This
Epic’s fight might have changed the rules, but Fortnite is still on the outside looking in. Whether this billion-dollar bet reshapes the App Store economy, or just leaves a crater, is still up in the air.
That said, it’s hard not to see Gruber’s point. If Apple truly intended to let Fortnite back into the App Store, they’ve had plenty of chances over the last four years to do so. And with the latest ruling not specifically mentioning Fortnite or requiring Apple to reinstate Epic’s developer account, there’s a very real possibility the game stays locked out, despite the courtroom win.
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