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A victory for sanity. Apple threatening developmental licenses and anyone who used the Unreal Engine was nothing short of mafia-esque, and just as obviously Fo

A victory for sanity. Apple threatening developmental licenses and anyone who used the Unreal Engine was nothing short of mafia-esque, and just as obviously Fortnite being restored to the app store is a matter for Epic's lawsuit against apple.

philliphaydon 6y ago
Huh, Apple said it would disable Epic's developer accounts? They never threatened anyone using Unreal Engine, and I don't believe they specified UE Developer accounts. We can only speculate that UE Developer accounts would have been terminated as we don't really know if Apple was going to terminate those too as they belong to a separate company according to the court documents.
- modeless 6y ago
  Blocking Epic from developing Unreal Engine is a threat to anyone using it.
  - kergonath 6y ago
    Come on. “We’ll remove your license if you keep misbehaving” is in no way similar to “we’ll go after your users and remove their license”. It’s a threat in the long term, if Epic and Apple cannot negotiate something satisfying (which they will eventually, there’s just too much to lose for both of them), but let’s keep some perspective.
    - klmadfejno 6y ago
      If Apple does not allow Epic to develop Unreal Engine, and Unreal Engine 5 is subsequently not released for Apple computers, that feels like a substantial "threat to anyone using it" to me.
    - mantap 6y ago
      The effects are similar. iOS 14 will be out soon. Epic needs to prepare Unreal Engine to be compatible with it. How can they do this without any developer tools?
      - kergonath 6y ago
        No, the effects are not similar. If Apple removed the developers’ licenses, they could not put anything on the AppStore. If an update to the Unreal Engine gets delayed (I have no doubt it will be resolved at some point), then the current version keeps working on the OS on which it was tested, and the developer’s other applications can still be bought. There is no need for hyperbole.
    - burnte 6y ago
      It's a chain of events. If Epic can't develop on iOS or MacOS, they can't continue to work on Unreal, which makes it effectively an abandoned product for others. Yes, they can still use it, but it would be basically EOL. That was the point in threatening to revoke Epic's license to develop on the platform, and the danger in the increasing monoculture inside Apple. You can only use these specific ordained tools, and they control access to the tools.
      - kergonath 6y ago
        I don’t disagree with you, but again, they are not taking away anyone’s license apart from Epic’s. This is a fact, and there is no way around it. Taking away Epic’s license will have effects on other developers, but this is not the same as revoking their licenses. The OP was not about a constructive discussion of the consequences of that, it was about Apple going after other developers. Which is factually wrong.
        burnte 6y ago
        Taking away and revoking are the same. The legal work is revoke, they're revoking Epic's license to use MacOS and iOS development tools. That was beyond the scope of the violation, which was an App Store rule violation. The goal of that move was to prevent Epic from even developing non-App Store content, which I don't think anyone could not foresee it affecting other developers, which I'm fairly sure was the intent. I think they overstepped their contractual recourse for the intent of trying to force epic back to the table, because Epic wouldn't want to lose all their iOS customers.
        kergonath 6y ago
        > Taking away and revoking are the same. The legal work is revoke, they're revoking Epic's license to use MacOS and iOS development tools. Sorry, my sentence was poorly worded. They threatened to revoke Epic’s license, not the other developers’ (which, again, is what the OP claimed and is specifically what I disputed). I think they did go overboard with the intent to push Epic to settle, yes. And Epic were ready for a mud fight and called their bluff. It looks like the move was a warning, though, and I don’t think they really would do it, at least not for long: they know how important the Unreal Engine is for the platform. If an agreement is found quickly, the impact on others developers is nil. At least in the short term; this brings trust issues over the longer term.
asutekku 6y ago
This is arguably false. The only license that would’ve been withdrawn was Epic’s. Not a single other developer using UE was targeted directly by Apple.
- mschuster91 6y ago
  > Not a single other developer using UE was targeted directly by Apple. But indirectly. If Epic doesn't have a developer license anymore, they cannot reasonably support their clients in implementing UE on any Apple hardware (and, depending on the licensing terms, they may not even legally support it...).
  - philliphaydon 6y ago
    That's not true. Epic which developers Fortnite isn't the same holding company which developers UE. If Epic's game developers accounts are closed it should have no affect to the Epic accounts for UE. * Epic Games, Inc. develops Fortnite and has an Apple developer account that it is released under. * Epic Games International, S.a.r.l. develops Unreal Engine and holds its own Apple developer account. So if the accounts of Epic Games, Inc. were closed, who cares. If Epic Games International's accounts were closed, then yes that's wrong of Apple to do.
    - drevil-v2 6y ago
      But it is effectively the same company though; controlled by the same principals. That would be like Google in Mountain View claiming that they don't avoid paying tax and they are the good guys, but Google SA Netherlands & Ireland who are the assholes who scam countries out of their share of tax revenue (The Dutch Irish sandwich tax loophole that they use).
    - onion2k 6y ago
      This is a quote from the letter that Apple sent to Epic; "If your membership is terminated, you may no longer submit apps to the App Store, and your apps still available for distribution will be removed. You will also lose access to the following programs, technologies, and capabilities:" [...] "- Engineering efforts to improve hardware and software performance of Unreal Engine on Mac and iOS hardware; optimize Unreal Engine on the Mac for creative workflows, virtual sets and their CI/Build Systems; and adoption and support of ARKit features and future VR features into Unreal Engine by their XR team" That is a statement that Apple made saying they will stop all help they give to Epic getting UE running on all Apple hardware. With the other stuff in the letter it makes it very clear that the problem is not just one for Epic Games, but all of Epic. You can read it yourself - https://cdn2.unrealengine.com/epic-v-apple-8-17-20-768927327.pdf https://cdn2.unrealengine.com/epic-v-apple-8-17-20-768927327... (Apple's letter starts on page 51 of the PDF)
kergonath 6y ago
AFAIK they did not threaten to remove licenses for companies using the Unreal Engine. Just Epic’s.
- gtsteve 6y ago
  Yes but Epic still needs those licenses to support those companies and continue to develop the engine. Regardless of the other matter going on, it looks punitive to me. I think when we look back on this event in 5-10 years' time, we'll see this as a serious misstep by Apple.
  - theklr 6y ago
    That’s a bold claim
  - kergonath 6y ago
    Yes, I agree with the first half of what you said, which is not was the OP said. As for the rest, I have seen far too many “this time, Apple is doomed for real” events to agree with your last sentence. Apple could stop selling any device today and still be around in 10 years.
    - gtsteve 6y ago
      To be clear, I don't think they're doomed, but I think this measure will provide ammunition to those who want to sideload apps and make their own app stores, which is presumably what Epic wants. I think this has been inevitable for some time, but I think by making this mistake they have they they've accelerated the process and damaged their monopoly far earlier than they had to. Note: Perhaps I am just seeing what I want to see here. I am hopeful that I and other independent software vendors will be able to avoid their app store one day.
      - kergonath 6y ago
        You might be right; in any case we won’t see it for a while. I think reform of the AppStore is overdue. Some of the rules are counterproductive and with enough of a grey area so that their implementation looks capricious at times. But man, Tim Sweeney is such an arsehole, and Epic’s behaviour is so self-serving...
a2tech 6y ago
Isn't this still an Epic issue? Basically if Epic delivered their engine to their customers as source code and NOT as a compiled binary couldn't the customers build the engine and include it in their App Store submission? But since Epic is trying to deliver the compiled engine to their customer (signed with their dev keys) thats where the problem comes in?
- admax88q 6y ago
  How can epic develop the engine if they are banned form using Apple development tools.
  - lewisgodowski 6y ago
    They aren't banned from using Apple's development tools.
    - saagarjha 6y ago
      They were going to be.
      - tonyedgecombe 6y ago
        No they weren't. You can download and use the developer tools without a developer account.
        saagarjha 6y ago
        You must agree to the developer program's EULA to use Apple's developer tools, as well as sign your code.
        dwaite 6y ago
        you must agree to the Xcode and Apple SDKs Agreement to use Xcode and production SDKs, which is a click-through when starting Xcode. You must agree to an Apple Developer Program License Agreement to sign and distribute applications and to get access to pre-release SDKs.
paulmd 6y ago
Now if only the courts would apply the same "sanity" to, say, Uber threatening to fire all its drivers if they're subject to regulation. Not just in california, it's been a repeated thing, they used their employees as leverage when they were threatening to take their ball and go home if Dallas made them do background checks too. The sad part is that Epic's tactics are nothing out of the ordinary for these silicon valley giants, they love using innocent parties as emotional leverage in a fight to pad their profit margins by another couple percent.
- 1MoreThing 6y ago
  What exactly is sane about figuring out how to make 200,000 contractors full-time employees inside of a week? I don't think there's a company in the world that could pull that off. If a company says, "hey, we're a marketplace" and a court says, "actually, you're not" then the company has to figure out how to adapt. There's change and an emotional toll to the drivers in that scenario whether they become employees or not.
  - bredren 6y ago
    Their job is to plan for this kind of thing in advance. Just like Epic did with their weird video.
  - newacct583 6y ago
    > inside of a week California Assembly Bill 5 was signed into law last September and was clearly a "Going to Happen" event for at least a year prior. There's no surprise here. Uber had plenty of time to figure out how to deal with this. And they did: they aren't dummies, this was their plan. Their considered decision was that it was in the best interests of their shareholders to play brinksmanship games with their employees' livelihoods instead of make a good faith effort to comply with state law. Rulebreaking is, after all, part of the corporate culture at Uber, and it always has been.
    - dragonwriter 6y ago
      > California Assembly Bill 5 was signed into law last September and was clearly a "Going to Happen" event for at least a year prior. And, on top of that, merely (as relevant to Uber and Lyft; it also added some exceptions that aren't relevant to them) codified the rule the California Supreme Court handed down in Dynamex on April 30, 2018; so the “one week” is off by about 121 weeks or so.
jariel 6y ago
It would have been more of a victory if Apple followed through with the action, because repercussions would have hit far and wide. Fortnite's entrapment move was powerful because Apple's actions are more exemplary than their threats. Perhaps it's time for some major app makers to have a day or two where they pull their apps.
- ocdtrekkie 6y ago
  > Perhaps it's time for some major app makers to have a day or two where they pull their apps. Epic's actions with Fortnite were effectively this. They were aware Apple would pull the app, but that them doing so would give them clear standing to sue Apple for the contract terms. For even a lot of "major" app makers though, pulling their apps off iOS in protest would put them out of business. (Even where Android excels in market share, Apple excels in revenue share by a wide margin.) By being a large multiplatform entity with more reliance on consoles and desktops, Epic is one of the few companies that can afford the hit to pick this fight.
  - jariel 6y ago
    If Snapchat, Facebook, Instagram, Whatsapp, PayPal were all pulled for 2 days at the same time, and then put back up, it would make a huge international stink, global headlines to raise awareness. Literally Joe Biden would hear about it. Same day take out an editorial or page-sized ad in the Times. Apple needs apps as much as apps need them, it just takes enough coordination.
    - WrtCdEvrydy 6y ago
      Prisoner's Dilemma is in action here. Pulling your app actually costs you money.
    - dwaite 6y ago
      If all those apps pulled their versions down at the same time, Facebook/Paypal/Whatapp could very well wind up in court over antitrust concerns as well.
dwaite 6y ago
Apple never threatened the developmental licenses of anyone using the Unreal Engine. They said they would remove all Epic access to developer program tools (e.g. beta access to operating systems and Xcode) and to partner programs (presumably for advance hardware testing). This would have a second-hand effect on Epic's ability to provide timely updates to their engine and remain competitive to alternatives like Unreal on the platform. It also would likely lead to a lot of problems with Epic's Game Store on Mac no longer being properly signed.
- sfifs 6y ago
  It was foolish for Apple to retaliate IMO. I think this example will be used in multiple litigations to paint a picture for jury that Apple operates in bad faith and anti-competitively. I am also certain Steve Jobs emails from the eBook trial fiasco will be coming up. Apple is likely going down if this goes to trial. Their best interests lie in settling before trial but it doesn't seem Epic is looking to settle.
  - fomine3 6y ago
    I'm very curious why very smart law team in Apple allows banning Epic's account. This action would works bad for antitrust lawsuit.
- causality0 6y ago
  They threatened the supply chain. Would they do that to a normal developer? If you're a developer and one of your apps is found to violate an app store rule does Apple remove not only that app but also all your developer credentials and licenses? I imagine Apple just removes that app do they not?
  - misnome 6y ago
    Not for normal violations, but in cases where developers have deliberately snuck in stuff against the rules they’ve banned accounts before.
  - jimmydorry 6y ago
imtringued 6y ago
Apple freezing developer accounts was out of line but Fortnite was taken off of Google's and Apple's stores because Epic knowingly broke the rules. They introduced "VBUCKS" that bypass in-app purchases. > and just as obviously Fortnite being restored to the app store is a matter for Epic's lawsuit against apple. They can easily roll back their TOS breaking update and the game will be available as early as today. The reality is that they broke the rules so they could sue.

philliphaydon 6y ago

Huh, Apple said it would disable Epic's developer accounts? They never threatened anyone using Unreal Engine, and I don't believe they specified UE Developer accounts. We can only speculate that UE Developer accounts would have been terminated as we don't really know if Apple was going to terminate those too as they belong to a separate company according to the court documents.

modeless 6y ago
Blocking Epic from developing Unreal Engine is a threat to anyone using it.
- kergonath 6y ago
  Come on. “We’ll remove your license if you keep misbehaving” is in no way similar to “we’ll go after your users and remove their license”. It’s a threat in the long term, if Epic and Apple cannot negotiate something satisfying (which they will eventually, there’s just too much to lose for both of them), but let’s keep some perspective.
  - klmadfejno 6y ago
    If Apple does not allow Epic to develop Unreal Engine, and Unreal Engine 5 is subsequently not released for Apple computers, that feels like a substantial "threat to anyone using it" to me.
  - mantap 6y ago
    The effects are similar. iOS 14 will be out soon. Epic needs to prepare Unreal Engine to be compatible with it. How can they do this without any developer tools?
    - kergonath 6y ago
      No, the effects are not similar. If Apple removed the developers’ licenses, they could not put anything on the AppStore. If an update to the Unreal Engine gets delayed (I have no doubt it will be resolved at some point), then the current version keeps working on the OS on which it was tested, and the developer’s other applications can still be bought. There is no need for hyperbole.
  - burnte 6y ago
    It's a chain of events. If Epic can't develop on iOS or MacOS, they can't continue to work on Unreal, which makes it effectively an abandoned product for others. Yes, they can still use it, but it would be basically EOL. That was the point in threatening to revoke Epic's license to develop on the platform, and the danger in the increasing monoculture inside Apple. You can only use these specific ordained tools, and they control access to the tools.
    - kergonath 6y ago
      I don’t disagree with you, but again, they are not taking away anyone’s license apart from Epic’s. This is a fact, and there is no way around it. Taking away Epic’s license will have effects on other developers, but this is not the same as revoking their licenses. The OP was not about a constructive discussion of the consequences of that, it was about Apple going after other developers. Which is factually wrong.
      - burnte 6y ago
        Taking away and revoking are the same. The legal work is revoke, they're revoking Epic's license to use MacOS and iOS development tools. That was beyond the scope of the violation, which was an App Store rule violation. The goal of that move was to prevent Epic from even developing non-App Store content, which I don't think anyone could not foresee it affecting other developers, which I'm fairly sure was the intent. I think they overstepped their contractual recourse for the intent of trying to force epic back to the table, because Epic wouldn't want to lose all their iOS customers.
        kergonath 6y ago
        > Taking away and revoking are the same. The legal work is revoke, they're revoking Epic's license to use MacOS and iOS development tools. Sorry, my sentence was poorly worded. They threatened to revoke Epic’s license, not the other developers’ (which, again, is what the OP claimed and is specifically what I disputed). I think they did go overboard with the intent to push Epic to settle, yes. And Epic were ready for a mud fight and called their bluff. It looks like the move was a warning, though, and I don’t think they really would do it, at least not for long: they know how important the Unreal Engine is for the platform. If an agreement is found quickly, the impact on others developers is nil. At least in the short term; this brings trust issues over the longer term.

asutekku 6y ago

This is arguably false. The only license that would’ve been withdrawn was Epic’s. Not a single other developer using UE was targeted directly by Apple.

mschuster91 6y ago
> Not a single other developer using UE was targeted directly by Apple. But indirectly. If Epic doesn't have a developer license anymore, they cannot reasonably support their clients in implementing UE on any Apple hardware (and, depending on the licensing terms, they may not even legally support it...).
- philliphaydon 6y ago
  That's not true. Epic which developers Fortnite isn't the same holding company which developers UE. If Epic's game developers accounts are closed it should have no affect to the Epic accounts for UE. * Epic Games, Inc. develops Fortnite and has an Apple developer account that it is released under. * Epic Games International, S.a.r.l. develops Unreal Engine and holds its own Apple developer account. So if the accounts of Epic Games, Inc. were closed, who cares. If Epic Games International's accounts were closed, then yes that's wrong of Apple to do.
  - drevil-v2 6y ago
    But it is effectively the same company though; controlled by the same principals. That would be like Google in Mountain View claiming that they don't avoid paying tax and they are the good guys, but Google SA Netherlands & Ireland who are the assholes who scam countries out of their share of tax revenue (The Dutch Irish sandwich tax loophole that they use).
  - onion2k 6y ago
    This is a quote from the letter that Apple sent to Epic; "If your membership is terminated, you may no longer submit apps to the App Store, and your apps still available for distribution will be removed. You will also lose access to the following programs, technologies, and capabilities:" [...] "- Engineering efforts to improve hardware and software performance of Unreal Engine on Mac and iOS hardware; optimize Unreal Engine on the Mac for creative workflows, virtual sets and their CI/Build Systems; and adoption and support of ARKit features and future VR features into Unreal Engine by their XR team" That is a statement that Apple made saying they will stop all help they give to Epic getting UE running on all Apple hardware. With the other stuff in the letter it makes it very clear that the problem is not just one for Epic Games, but all of Epic. You can read it yourself - https://cdn2.unrealengine.com/epic-v-apple-8-17-20-768927327.pdf https://cdn2.unrealengine.com/epic-v-apple-8-17-20-768927327... (Apple's letter starts on page 51 of the PDF)

kergonath 6y ago

AFAIK they did not threaten to remove licenses for companies using the Unreal Engine. Just Epic’s.

gtsteve 6y ago
Yes but Epic still needs those licenses to support those companies and continue to develop the engine. Regardless of the other matter going on, it looks punitive to me. I think when we look back on this event in 5-10 years' time, we'll see this as a serious misstep by Apple.
- theklr 6y ago
  That’s a bold claim
- kergonath 6y ago
  Yes, I agree with the first half of what you said, which is not was the OP said. As for the rest, I have seen far too many “this time, Apple is doomed for real” events to agree with your last sentence. Apple could stop selling any device today and still be around in 10 years.
  - gtsteve 6y ago
    To be clear, I don't think they're doomed, but I think this measure will provide ammunition to those who want to sideload apps and make their own app stores, which is presumably what Epic wants. I think this has been inevitable for some time, but I think by making this mistake they have they they've accelerated the process and damaged their monopoly far earlier than they had to. Note: Perhaps I am just seeing what I want to see here. I am hopeful that I and other independent software vendors will be able to avoid their app store one day.
    - kergonath 6y ago
      You might be right; in any case we won’t see it for a while. I think reform of the AppStore is overdue. Some of the rules are counterproductive and with enough of a grey area so that their implementation looks capricious at times. But man, Tim Sweeney is such an arsehole, and Epic’s behaviour is so self-serving...

a2tech 6y ago

Isn't this still an Epic issue? Basically if Epic delivered their engine to their customers as source code and NOT as a compiled binary couldn't the customers build the engine and include it in their App Store submission? But since Epic is trying to deliver the compiled engine to their customer (signed with their dev keys) thats where the problem comes in?

admax88q 6y ago
How can epic develop the engine if they are banned form using Apple development tools.
- lewisgodowski 6y ago
  They aren't banned from using Apple's development tools.
  - saagarjha 6y ago
    They were going to be.
    - tonyedgecombe 6y ago
      No they weren't. You can download and use the developer tools without a developer account.
      - saagarjha 6y ago
        You must agree to the developer program's EULA to use Apple's developer tools, as well as sign your code.
        dwaite 6y ago
        you must agree to the Xcode and Apple SDKs Agreement to use Xcode and production SDKs, which is a click-through when starting Xcode. You must agree to an Apple Developer Program License Agreement to sign and distribute applications and to get access to pre-release SDKs.

paulmd 6y ago

Now if only the courts would apply the same "sanity" to, say, Uber threatening to fire all its drivers if they're subject to regulation. Not just in california, it's been a repeated thing, they used their employees as leverage when they were threatening to take their ball and go home if Dallas made them do background checks too. The sad part is that Epic's tactics are nothing out of the ordinary for these silicon valley giants, they love using innocent parties as emotional leverage in a fight to pad their profit margins by another couple percent.

1MoreThing 6y ago
What exactly is sane about figuring out how to make 200,000 contractors full-time employees inside of a week? I don't think there's a company in the world that could pull that off. If a company says, "hey, we're a marketplace" and a court says, "actually, you're not" then the company has to figure out how to adapt. There's change and an emotional toll to the drivers in that scenario whether they become employees or not.
- bredren 6y ago
  Their job is to plan for this kind of thing in advance. Just like Epic did with their weird video.
- newacct583 6y ago
  > inside of a week California Assembly Bill 5 was signed into law last September and was clearly a "Going to Happen" event for at least a year prior. There's no surprise here. Uber had plenty of time to figure out how to deal with this. And they did: they aren't dummies, this was their plan. Their considered decision was that it was in the best interests of their shareholders to play brinksmanship games with their employees' livelihoods instead of make a good faith effort to comply with state law. Rulebreaking is, after all, part of the corporate culture at Uber, and it always has been.
  - dragonwriter 6y ago
    > California Assembly Bill 5 was signed into law last September and was clearly a "Going to Happen" event for at least a year prior. And, on top of that, merely (as relevant to Uber and Lyft; it also added some exceptions that aren't relevant to them) codified the rule the California Supreme Court handed down in Dynamex on April 30, 2018; so the “one week” is off by about 121 weeks or so.

jariel 6y ago

It would have been more of a victory if Apple followed through with the action, because repercussions would have hit far and wide. Fortnite's entrapment move was powerful because Apple's actions are more exemplary than their threats. Perhaps it's time for some major app makers to have a day or two where they pull their apps.

ocdtrekkie 6y ago
> Perhaps it's time for some major app makers to have a day or two where they pull their apps. Epic's actions with Fortnite were effectively this. They were aware Apple would pull the app, but that them doing so would give them clear standing to sue Apple for the contract terms. For even a lot of "major" app makers though, pulling their apps off iOS in protest would put them out of business. (Even where Android excels in market share, Apple excels in revenue share by a wide margin.) By being a large multiplatform entity with more reliance on consoles and desktops, Epic is one of the few companies that can afford the hit to pick this fight.
- jariel 6y ago
  If Snapchat, Facebook, Instagram, Whatsapp, PayPal were all pulled for 2 days at the same time, and then put back up, it would make a huge international stink, global headlines to raise awareness. Literally Joe Biden would hear about it. Same day take out an editorial or page-sized ad in the Times. Apple needs apps as much as apps need them, it just takes enough coordination.
  - WrtCdEvrydy 6y ago
    Prisoner's Dilemma is in action here. Pulling your app actually costs you money.
  - dwaite 6y ago
    If all those apps pulled their versions down at the same time, Facebook/Paypal/Whatapp could very well wind up in court over antitrust concerns as well.

dwaite 6y ago

Apple never threatened the developmental licenses of anyone using the Unreal Engine. They said they would remove all Epic access to developer program tools (e.g. beta access to operating systems and Xcode) and to partner programs (presumably for advance hardware testing). This would have a second-hand effect on Epic's ability to provide timely updates to their engine and remain competitive to alternatives like Unreal on the platform. It also would likely lead to a lot of problems with Epic's Game Store on Mac no longer being properly signed.

sfifs 6y ago
It was foolish for Apple to retaliate IMO. I think this example will be used in multiple litigations to paint a picture for jury that Apple operates in bad faith and anti-competitively. I am also certain Steve Jobs emails from the eBook trial fiasco will be coming up. Apple is likely going down if this goes to trial. Their best interests lie in settling before trial but it doesn't seem Epic is looking to settle.
- fomine3 6y ago
  I'm very curious why very smart law team in Apple allows banning Epic's account. This action would works bad for antitrust lawsuit.
causality0 6y ago
They threatened the supply chain. Would they do that to a normal developer? If you're a developer and one of your apps is found to violate an app store rule does Apple remove not only that app but also all your developer credentials and licenses? I imagine Apple just removes that app do they not?
- misnome 6y ago
  Not for normal violations, but in cases where developers have deliberately snuck in stuff against the rules they’ve banned accounts before.
- jimmydorry 6y ago

imtringued 6y ago

Apple freezing developer accounts was out of line but Fortnite was taken off of Google's and Apple's stores because Epic knowingly broke the rules. They introduced "VBUCKS" that bypass in-app purchases. > and just as obviously Fortnite being restored to the app store is a matter for Epic's lawsuit against apple. They can easily roll back their TOS breaking update and the game will be available as early as today. The reality is that they broke the rules so they could sue.