Apple declares victory in its App Store battle versus Fortnite, but there’s a banana peel in its path

Victory Royale… Apple described its day in court versus Epic Games yesterday as “a resounding victory” after 9 out of 10 of the Fortnite maker’s claims were decided in Apple’s favor. Refresher: in 2020, Fortnite was booted from Apple’s and Google’s stores after it directed players to its own discounted payment system to bypass the “app tax.” Epic retaliated by suing both tech titans and making a dramatic “1984” parody video. The legal saga appears to be over:

• Not a mobile-opoly: Judges ruled that App Store policies don’t break federal antitrust laws. Apple won’t need to allow third-party app stores on iOS devices or change its fees.

The one claim that got away… is the core of Epic’s suit. The ruling says Apple can’t bar developers from steering users to off-app purchasing pages to skirt the 15 to 30% fee that Apple skims off in-app purchases (picture: Beef Boss skins). Read: Epic could allow players to set down their shockwave hammers and leave the Fortnite app to pay outside Apple’s ecosystem. Fortnite hasn’t been on the App Store since 2020, but it could return this year.

• Giving up a slice: Last year, Apple started allowing “reading apps” — including Netflix, Audible, and Spotify — to steer customers to alt payment options. Now it’ll have to extend the policy to games, too, if it fails to appeal this week’s ruling.

• Prob-llama: As of 2021, gaming apps made up about 70% of all App Store revenue. If game developers start linking out to other payment options, Apple’s lucrative biz could take a hit.