So They Wanted Special Treatment, You Say?
Epic and Apple have been twisted up in a nasty legal battle. After Epic decided that the iOS storefront was a giant ripoff, they attempted to concoct a workaround. So now they’re kicked off of both Apple and Google’s digital shelves. Worse yet, Apple has published email records stating that Epic asked for a ‘special deal’ from the company.
Developers who work to deceive Apple, as Epic has done here, are terminated. So when Epic willfully and knowingly breached its agreements by secretly installing a “hotfix” into its app to bypass Apple’s payment system and App Review Process, it knew full well what would happen and, in so doing, has knowingly and purposefully created the harm to game players and developers it now asks the Court to step in and remedy.
So Epic wanted a better cut of the profits. This makes sense, given that they created a whole new PC storefront to push their products. Apple is sure that this is all Epic’s fault, full stop. But Tim Sweeney, Epic’s CEO, claims these email and court records are misleading. What he actually said was that “We hope that Apple will also make these options equally available to all iOS developers.” In other words, every app development company should have a shot at cutting Apple out of their lives. The statement refers to Epic getting an alternate storefront available on iOS. Surely, a legal battle that adds up to “please let us build condos on your front lawn” will only go well.