Epic Games gets temporary restraining order to protect Unreal Engine, not 'Fortnite'

Epic Games

Apple initially planned to revoke Epic Games' developer accounts on Friday, August 28, but a judge granted the game developer a temporary restraining order to prevent this from happening. Apple can't restrict the use of Epic's Unreal Engine by developers on Apple platforms, too. In the same ruling, though, Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers decided Apple won't need to bring Fortnite back. The tech giant banned the game after Epic added an in-app payment system that violates Apple's rules.

"The Court finds that with respect to Epic Games' motion as to its games, including Fortnite, Epic Games has not yet demonstrated irreparable harm. The current predicament appears of its own making," Rogers wrote, arguing that Epic "strategically chose to breach its agreements with Apple" and disturb the status quo.

And maintaining this status quo is also why she ruled against Apple preventing access to the Unreal Engine. Apple, Rogers argued, "has chosen to act severely" by affecting both third-party app developers and Epic's reputation by threatening Unreal Engine. 

The two companies "are at liberty to litigate against each other," Rogers wrote, "but their dispute should not create havoc to bystanders. 

Rogers agreed with Epic about the "potential significant damage" to both the Unreal Engine platform and the gaming industry, suggesting Apple would find it difficult to argue that Epic won't be harmed if Unreal Engine developers drop their projects because Epic can't support them on Apple's platforms.

Source: The Verge