Epic Games’ Lawsuit Fires a Shot at Apple’s App Store ‘Monopoly’

Photo caption: Apple booted Fortnite from the App Store. Moments later, Epic Games launched a lawsuit with potentially huge implications. Photograph: Patrick T. Fallon / Bloomberg / Getty Images. Article by Cecilia D’Anastasio.

The Fortnite developer filed suits today in California that suggest it may even want to launch its own app stores on iOS and Android.

FORTNITE creator Epic Games launched a spear at Apple’s gatekept iOS App Store market today with a lawsuit filed in the US District Court of Northern California. The move aligns with the developer’s years-long quest to disrupt digital marketplaces and their associated fees—and comes as Apple has faced increased antitrust scrutiny on Capitol Hill.

Alleging that Apple’s grip over the iOS market is “unreasonable and unlawful,” Epic Games seeks to force access to more apps and payment processing options on iOS. The lawsuit came just moments after Apple removed Fortnite from its iOS store for instituting an in-app payment system that let users circumvent Apple altogether, a violation of App Store guidelines. Hours later, after Google removed Fortnite from its Google Play Store, Epic Games filed a lawsuit alleging that Google also engages in similar “anti-competitive conduct.” […]

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