Epic's new motion claims Apple's holding Unreal Engine hostage

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Epic's new filing issued on Sunday alleges Apple is holding an entire ecosystem of game developers hostage with its response of threatening to revoke Epic's developer access. The game developer has asked the court to restrain Apple from revoking said access while the lawsuit is ongoing. Apple's response to the request claims it's enforcing previously stated policies without denying that iOS support was at risk.

Epic says getting its access revoked is unnecessarily punitive as it affects developers who built on Epic's Unreal Engine, even if they weren't directly involved in the case. "The breadth of Apple's retaliation is itself an unlawful effort to maintain its monopoly and chill any action by others who might dare oppose Apple," the motion reads.

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Apple claims Epic requested for special treatment

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Apple has finally responded to Epic's lawsuit with claims that the gaming giant requested special treatment on multiple occasions. The company produced three emails from Epic CEO Tim Sweeney, marking Apple's first legal response against Epic since their dispute spilled into courts. The claim that Epic sought a "special deal" was something Sweeney refuted earlier this month, saying they are "fighting for open platforms and policy changes equally benefiting all developers." 

But Apple's filing on Friday disputes this point. "On June 30, 2020, Epic's CEO Tim Sweeney wrote my colleagues and me an email asking for a 'side letter' from Apple that would create a special deal for only Epic that would fundamentally change the way in which Epic offers apps on Apple's iOS platform," Phil Schiller, former Apple Senior Vice President and now Apple Fellow, said.

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Apple 'won't make an exception' for Epic Games as legal dispute rages on

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Apple responds to Epic's latest claims in its ongoing dispute, saying it "won't make an exception" for the company because "we don't think it's right to put their business interests ahead of the guidelines that protect our customers." Epic filed a preliminary injunction against Apple, asking the courts to stop the company from taking it off its developer program. The developer says Apple has given them until August 28 to take out the rule-violating payment processing option Epic snuck into Fortnite. 

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Epic Games says Apple plans to revoke its developer account

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In the ongoing battle between Epic Games and Apple, the developer said that Apple has threatened to cut it out of the App Store entirely by revoking its developer account. The move will mean Epic can no longer make apps for Apple, which means it will lose access to iOS users. According to the developer, Apple has given Epic until August 28 before it removes its developer accounts, which also means they can't publish updates to current apps on the store. 

On top of that, Epic makes the Unreal Engine software that many iPhone and Android games use to add realistic graphics and physics to their titles. The company seeks an injunction to "preserve the status quo" and allow Epic to continue to sell apps, including Fortnite, on the Apple App Store. Epic claims Apple's move to revoke its accounts represents an "existential threat" to Unreal Engine, and that the company is "attacking Epic's entire business in unrelated areas."

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