In doing so, Epic avoided the 30% commission taken by Apple: 20% of that savings was passed along to consumers, while Epic retained the remaining 10%. In the Fortnite app, Epic Games had added the ability for players to purchase the game’s virtual currency directly as opposed to using Apple’s normal In-App Purchase system. Apple responded by removing Fornite from the App Store completely, citing the violation of the review guidelines. The backstory: Epic Games snuck in a direct payments feature to the Fortnite app on iPhone and iPad earlier today, allowing users to evade Apple’s In-App Purchase system.
Epic argues that Apple has used a “series of anti-competitive restraints and monopolistic practices,” specifically citing the App Store and associate In-App Purchase guidelines. Epic Games has filed a civil antitrust lawsuit against Apple today, following the removal of Fortnite from the App Store.
