(Bloomberg) — Apple Inc. plans to keep Fortnite off of its App Store until appeals are exhausted in its legal battle with Epic Games Inc., the maker of the popular battle-royale game.
Apple sent a letter to Epic Tuesday saying that it “will not consider any further requests for reinstatement until the district court’s judgment becomes final and nonappealable.” The letter, sent to Epic’s lawyers from a firm representing Apple, was published on Twitter by Epic Chief Executive Officer Tim Sweeney. That process could take five years, he said.
Epic sued Apple in August 2020 after the iPhone-maker removed Fortnite from its App Store, citing a workaround that circumvented Apple’s commission on purchases. The suit came to a head this month, with U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers mostly siding with Apple — though she said the company should allow app developers to point users to outside payment systems. Epic has filed an appeal.
Apple said this week that it made the decision due to comments from Sweeney after the ruling. Sweeney sent an email to Phil Schiller, Apple’s executive in charge of the App Store, earlier this month that asked for reinstatement.
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