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Apple to Terminate All Epic Games Developer Accounts

After kicking Fortnite off the App Store, Apple are now threatening to terminate all developer accounts at Epic Games,... Pablo | 18. August 2020

After kicking Fortnite off the App Store, Apple are now threatening to terminate all developer accounts at Epic Games, with the two leading tech organisations continuing to go head to head in their feud. The war started when Apple removed Fortnite from the App Store as a result of Epic Games introducing an in-game payment system, which broke the tech company’s terms and conditions.

Epic responded by developing a lawsuit of their own, as well as releasing protest videos on both social media and in-game, meaning that the latest move from Apple will certainly not have gone down well. The step taken to revoke Epic Games’ members of staff from using development tools may appear a little childish, however it is perhaps not surprising. Development tools are crucial when it comes to testing and debugging apps, something in which is a must for games such as Fortnite.

How Epic Games Fought Back Against Apple

Upon learning of Apple’s decision to remove Fortnite from the App Store, Epic Games quickly made a court request using a 197-page document, calling for the ban to be lifted. This was put forward on the basis that the developers would be on the wrong end of significant damage if no intervention was made.

However, Apple seemingly did not take too kind to this action, quickly removing access to developer tools for Epic Games employees. Epic themselves have stated that the ban will effect gamers significantly, proclaiming that they are “doomed to obsolescence within weeks and they will be unable to play Fortnite with most other players”.
The lack of access to developer tools will also have a significant impact upon their Unreal Engine, which is widely regarded as one of the most powerful 3D real-time creation platforms around today.

What Happens Next Between Apple and Epic Games?

The feud between Apple and Epic Games is moving quickly, with the initial ban from the App Store having taken place on August 13, upon Epic launching their new payment method. While Epic will have likely been aware of a response from Apple, given the fact that this new method allowed for in-game currency to be purchased at a discounted price, they believe that the response has been over the top.

What happens next in the feud between the two tech giants should become clearer in the coming days, however the disagreement between the duo now goes beyond simply Fortnite. It would not come as a surprise should we hear much more from both parties in the near future, as they look to come to some form of agreement.