— Epic Games Newsroom (@EpicNewsroom) August 17, 2020 The injunction specifically cites a recent quote from Tim Cook denying that Apple has ever bullied developers who criticized the App Store, and says: The problem is that several games in the App Store are built on the Unreal Engine, so Epic says, and they would no longer have access to Epic’s developer tools. Epic makes it sound like this would be a disaster, saying “an entire ecosystem based on the Unreal Engine will collapse” and that “will threaten the viability of the engine and disrupt development of a constellation of apps and uses that rely on its graphics to render hundreds of video games, the human brain, Baby Yoda and space flight.” Little dramatic, yeah? But Epic declared war, and it appears this is Apple cracking its knuckles and saying, “Game on.” Read: Most mobile apps suck — here’s how to fix them And this is the reason I fear this conflict won’t be soon resolved: because each company can afford to be assholes about it. Epic Games, which was recently valued at around $17 billion, could probably go without any revenue from Fortnite mobile for several weeks and still not have burned through its Fuck You Money. Apple, on the other hand, holds the means of playing the game. It’s a question of who will blink first, if anyone does. We’ll likely know by August 28. If Epic doesn’t succeed, then it’ll be cut off from its tools on that day.
