Epic Games backed by most US states over Apple App Store practises

As reported by Bloomberg (paywall), the bipartisan group of attorneys general said in a court filing that the judge’s initial ruling that Apple’s App Store doesn’t have dominant control over the mobile app market was false.

The claims back up Fortnite developer Epic Games, who appealed the ruling of the Epic vs Apple case last year. The US Justice Department also said the ruling was inaccurate, but declined to take a position in the case.

“We’re optimistic that the ruling will be affirmed on appeal, and that Epic’s challenge will fail,” an Apple spokesperson told Bloomberg. “We remain committed to ensuring the App Store is a safe and trusted marketplace for consumers and a great opportunity for developers.”

There is currently a way to play Fortnite on iOS, however, as the game can be streamed via GeForce Now. This marks the first time the game can be played since it was removed in 2020.

Fortnite was removed from the App Store as Epic Games aimed to circumvent Apple’s 30 per cent cut of all purchases on the platform, as the in-game currency of V-Bucks was made available from the game’s app itself at a cheaper price.

A recent report has said that 83 per cent of game developers aren’t currently interested in the metaverse, but that 17 per cent think Fortnite is the best platform to deliver on the concepts promised.

Krafton has also recently filed a lawsuit against Apple over the fact that the store has allowed an alleged PUBG clone to exist on its App Store.

In other news, Netflix is looking to add more games to the subscription service as it partners with Canadian games agency RocketRide games. This will bolster the two games added last December by the agency.