Apple files counterclaims against Epic Games

After Epic Games asked a judge to force Apple to restore Fortnite on iOS, Apple has filed counterclaims seeking damages for breach of contract.

“Epic’s lawsuit is nothing more than a basic disagreement over money,” Apple told the District Court for the Northern District of California in a filing. “Although Epic portrays itself as a modern corporate Robin Hood, in reality it is a multi-billion dollar enterprise that simply wants to pay nothing for the tremendous value it derives from the App Store.”

From the point of view of Apple, Epic has taken advantage of everything Apple offers developers and more to earn lots of money. “With Apple’s support, in the space of two short years, Fortnite grew into an incredibly successful iOS app, enjoying nearly 130 million downloads in 174 countries—and earning Epic more than half a billion dollars. As recently as April 2020, Epic executives recognized and thanked Apple for its support and promotion of Fortnite events.”

Apple denied “Epic’s request for a special deal.” Epic, according to Apple, was asking to be “exempt from its existing contractual obligations, including the App Store Review Guidelines that apply equally to all Apple developers.”

The request for an exception to the 30% Apple tax and the demand by Epic CEO Tim Sweeney to let Epic have its own Epic Games Store also were parts of the special deal Epic wanted, says Apple. “Mr. Sweeney expressly acknowledged that his proposed changes would be in direct breach of multiple terms of the agreements between Epic and Apple.”

For Apple, Epic’s activation of the “hotfix” for the direct payment option in Fortnite on iOS devices without prior knowledge to skip the 30% tax was “little more than theft.”

Check out the entirety of the document right here:

[Source]: Polygon: Apple countersues Fortnite developer Epic Games for ‘cold-blooded’ circumvention.