The Apple and Epic Games saga continues. Apple has shot back to the Epic Games lawsuit accusing the iPhone maker of anticompetitive behaviour, in a legal filing made on Friday.
According to CNBC, Apple shared three emails written by Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney, asking for special treatment on iOS devices. Epic Games was paying its 30% share to Apple on in-app purchases but the company refused to do so with its modified update that introduced its own payment system.
The new information contradicts a statement Sweeney said earlier he was not seeking a “special deal” in the App Store.
“On June 30, 2020, Epic’s CEO Tim Sweeney wrote my colleagues and me an email asking for a ‘side letter’ from Apple that would create a special deal for only Epic that would fundamentally change the way in which Epic offers apps on Apple’s iOS platform,” detailed a declaration from former Apple Senior Vice President Phil Schiller.
According to Schiller, the morning Fortnite added its own payment system into its iOS app, Sweeney emailed the former Apple executive to say, it “will not longer adhere to Apple’s payment processing restrictions.”
“In the wake of its own voluntary actions, Epic now seeks emergency relief. But the ‘emergency’ is entirely of Epic’s own making,” said Apple’s legal filing response, seen by CNBC.
After Fortnite introduced its own payment system, breaking Apple developer rules, the iPhone maker quickly removed the game from the App Store. Apple also says it will remove developer accounts for Epic Games in one week, while also reduce the development of the latter’s Unreal Engine software, used widely in the gaming industry.
