Epic Games Submitting Complaint In The UK And EU Against Apple And Google

Fortnite maker Epic Games is expanding its action against Apple and Google: After the USA and Australia, the games company has now also filed a competition complaint against both companies in Great Britain.

The aim is to force a return of Fortnite to smartphone platforms in the UK and then to sue against anti-competitive behaviour in the EU. This emerges from several media reports. As reported by Bloomberg, a complaint has been filed with the British Competition Appeal Tribunal (CTA). The agency oversees the UK market.

The CTA must now check

Epic claims in the complaint that Apple is unfairly restricting competition because there is no option for alternatives. Above all, the compulsion to process payments via Apple and the fees on sales are criticized. The same applies to Google, even if developers still have alternatives, according to Epic Games. Epic is now only demanding that the CTA examine the case and force Apple and Google to resume Fortnite.

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Epic demands that their game, including their own payment system, should come back to the iOS and android store. Epic also expects general permission not only for themselves but also for other developers who do not want to participate in the Apple and Google systems in their current form. According to a statement, Epic is not demanding compensation from Apple or Google in the UK, Australia or the US, but instead strives for fair access and competition that would benefit all consumers, it said.

The legal battle between Apple, Google and Epic over the new Fortnite in-app purchases began back in August 2020. At that time, the developer had introduced a direct payment method for users in order not to pay commissions to Apple and Google, but only to collect them directly. Apple and Google viewed this as a breach of contract, which resulted in the game being removed from the App Store.