Fortnite Class Action Investigations: Gamers Unite Against Apple | Audet & Partners, LLP
Are you a Fortnite player and use an iPhone?
As you may be aware, Apple Inc. has advised Epic Games, Inc., the owner of Fortnite, that Apple will soon be removing Fortnite from the Apple App store. As a result, you and other Fortnite players may be unable to update or use Fortnite in the near future thus denying you the ability to play Fortnite on mobile devices that run on Apple’s iOS.
Epic Games has taken affirmative action against Apple by initiating a lawsuit in Federal Court accusing Apple of a wide range of anticompetitive practices that for years has driven up the price of apps, including Fortnite, on mobile devices using Apple’s iOS. By requiring Epic to distribute Fortnite for mobile devices solely through Apple’s App store, Apple has been able to extract a 30% premium from app developers who effectively have no choice but to accede to Apple’s terms. The net impact of this restriction is that the price of Fortnite for consumers has become artificially inflated for years.
Now, Apple has announced a more aggressive response to Epic by announcing that it will soon delete Fortnite from the App Store.