It is not a simple technology fight; the five-year legal battle between Epic Games and Apple is altering the way the largest smartphone platform in the world conducts business. What began in August of 2020 with Fortnite circumventing the Apple in-app payment regulations in a rather cheeky way had immediately turned into a full-scale courtroom battle, where Apple had to respond by at least reconsidering its App Store rules.
Epic unleashed the anarchy by installing a direct payment system into Fortnite, which would allow the game to offer its players a cheaper method of purchasing in-game currency, and instantly landed the game in the App Store. Epic described the 30% commission of Apple as a monopoly, and bang, it is time to sue.
An initial ruling was not in one way: Apple won the major claims, yet a court in California applied a significant blow to one of the rules, thus compelling the company to allow developers to connect users to alternative payment solutions. Apple was reluctant to update its systems but with conditions that made commissions still payable and Epic continued to denounce giant junk fees.
More than 5 years later, in 2025, Fortnite was available again on iOS in the US, although payments outside of Apple’s cut are handled by Epic. There is still a chance that an appeals court in the US will permit Apple to impose a reasonable fee on linked-out purchases, though a new limit was affirmed that prevents Apple from scaring users out of alternatives.
It has become a platform power battle, a freedom of developers, and the real definition of fairness in the digital economy and is by no means a finished saga.
