A federal judge hearing a dispute between Apple Inc. and video games publisher Epic Games, Inc. has ruled in part against the complainant Epic and said Apple could continue to block the video game Fortnite from its mobile application store.
The ruling means Apple can effectively block any new content or app updates on The App Store. Players of the game on Apple iPhone, iPads and other devices will have to go elsewhere if they wish to get new content from Epic.
Epic originally sued Apple in August after Apple removed its game from The App Store. Apple responded that Epic deliberately breached a contract by attempting to circumvent its in-app payment system. Epic had encouraged players to bypass Apple's in-app payment system by purchasing in-game items and currency directly from its website.
With players purchasing in-game items from Epic's website, it no longer had to give Apple its 30% cut for in-app purchases. The conflict led to the banning of Epic's Unreal Engine - software for creating video games.
In its original filing, Epic had asked the court to order Apple to restore its game on the App Store. It also asked that Apple be barred from retaliating against its overseas affiliates.
Federal Judge Yvonne Gonzalez said Apple wasn't allowed to "punish" or "retaliate" against Epic's affiliates and Unreal Engine - which were unrelated to the case. Gonzales said the banning of the company's Unreal Engine would "unnecessarily impact" other developers reliant on the software. She said Apple could continue to bar Fortnite.
Google, Facebook and Amazon face increased scrutiny of their control of and power over digital marketplaces.
