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Facebook is backing “Fortnite” Epic Games in the ongoing legal dispute with Apple, the company announced this week.
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“Facebook is committed to providing relevant information in the Epic Games dispute about how Apple’s policies have had a negative impact on Facebook and the people and companies that use our services,” Facebook said.
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On August 13, the hugely popular game “Fortnite” received an update on Apple and Android smartphones that allowed players to bypass the companies’ digital payment systems and pay Epic Games directly.
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In response, Apple and Google removed “Fortnite” from their digital stores and cited the update as a breach of terms of service – prompting Epic to sue both companies. The game cannot be played directly on iPhone and iPad and has been so for months.
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The producer of “Fortnite” Epic Games has just received a major blow in support of the ongoing battle with Apple from a source with deep pockets: the social media giant Facebook.
The company said it would provide Epic with “relevant information … about how Apple’s policies have had a negative impact on Facebook and the people and companies that use our services,” in a blog post on Wednesday.
Facebook recently went on the offensive against Apple: it published a full page in The New York Times criticizing the latest update of Apple’s operating system and claiming that it would affect small businesses due to a change in advertising policy.
Epic’s leadership in its ongoing litigation with Apple is the latest move in that offensive. That support does not appear to be financial in nature, more like the symbolic support previously offered by Spotify and others.
Epic Games and Apple have been embroiled in a heated legal battle since August, when Epic introduced a new payment option in Fortnite.
The new option said “Epic direct payment”, which is exactly what it sounds like: instead of paying Apple, then Apple pays the manufacturer “Fortnite” Epic Games, you can pay Epic directly and it cost less for the same thing.
In doing so, Epic has deliberately evaded paying Apple and Google for that piece of merchandise sold through their digital stores: 30%, an industry standard for digital platform owners such as Apple, Google, Microsoft, Sony, Nintendo and others.
In response, Apple removed the game from the App Store and banned Epic from issuing updates. Because the game cannot be updated and is a live game, “Fortnite” cannot be played on iPhone and iPad, as litigation continues.
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