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Facebook backs “Fortnite” maker Epic Games in its ongoing legal battle with Apple, the company announced this week.
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“Facebook is committed to providing relevant information in Epic Games’ process about how Apple’s policies have negatively impacted Facebook and the people and businesses that use our services,” Facebook said.
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On August 13, the wildly popular game “Fortnite” got 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 pulled “Fortnite” from their digital storefronts, citing the update as a violation of its terms of service – prompting Epic to sue both companies. The game downright cannot be played on iPhones and iPads, and it has been for months.
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“Fortnite” creator Epic Games has just received great support in its ongoing battle with Apple from a deep-seated source: social media giant Facebook.
The company said it will provide Epic with “relevant information … about how Apple’s policies have negatively impacted Facebook and the people and businesses that use our services,” in a blog post on Wednesday.
Facebook recently took the offensive against Apple: it ran a full-page ad in The New York Times criticizing Apple’s latest OS update, claiming that it would harm small businesses as a result of a change in advertising policies.
Taking Epic’s side in ongoing lawsuits with Apple is the latest step in that offensive. That support does not seem to be financial in nature so far, more akin to the symbolic support previously provided by Spotify and others.
Epic Games and Apple have been engaged in a heated legal battle since August, when Epic introduced a new payment option for “Fortnite”.
The new option was “Epic Instant Payment,” which is exactly what it sounds like: instead of paying Apple, and then paying Apple “Fortnite” maker Epic Games, you could pay Epic instantly. and it cost less for the same.
By doing this, Epic deliberately circumvented paying Apple and Google their respective cut of goods sold through their digital storefronts: 30%, an industry standard for digital platform holders such as Apple, Google, Microsoft, Sony, Nintendo, and others.
In response, Apple pulled the game from the App Store and banned Epic from releasing any updates. Since the game is not updateable and it is a live game, “Fortnite” cannot be played on iPhones and iPads as the lawsuit continues.
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