Apple says Fortnite removal is entirely Epic Games’ own fault

Apple has responded to Epic Games’ lawsuit in a new legal filing. It says the Fortnite developer asked for a special deal and created its own problem when Apple refused it. Epic’s actions are putting the “entire App Store model at risk.”

Apple told court the whole controversy over removing Fortnite from the App Store is entirely Epic’s own fault. The Cupertino-based tech titan had agreed to defuse the whole matter, if Epic chose to follow the iOS App Store policies. “In the wake of its own voluntary actions, Epic now seeks emergency relief. But the ‘emergency’ is entirely of Epic’s own making,” Apple mentioned in the court filing.

Apple provided the court with emails exchanged between Epic CEO Tim Sweeney and Apple executives. The email shows Sweeney requesting Apple to allow other payment options in its apps and a way for Epic to offer its own app store on iOS. Epic also suggested to offer similar treatment to all iOS developers.

“The App Store is not simply a marketplace — it is part of a larger bundle of tools, technologies and services that Apple makes available to developers, We cannot be confident that Epic or any developer would uphold the same rigorous standards of privacy, security, and content as Apple,” wrote Douglas Vetter, Apple associate general counsel, in a post. “Indeed, since Apple treats all developers according to the same terms, Epic is essentially asking Apple to outsource the safety and security of Apple’s users to hundreds of thousands of iOS developers.” Apple has also warned to terminate developers who work to deceive Apple.

Apple states in-app purchase system is simply one platform among other platforms like Sony’s PlayStation or Microsoft’s Xbox. “Apple needs a way of ensuring that it actually gets paid. [In-app purchase] is the fundamental mechanism by which Apple, like many other transaction platforms, implements its business model and recoups its substantial investment in the platform,” as mentioned in the filing.