Apple aid it terminated Epic Games’s App Store developer account in the midst of a legal battle over the iPhone maker’s in-app-purchase rules.
“We are disappointed that we have had to terminate the Epic Games account on the App Store,” Apple said in a statement. “We have worked with the team at Epic Games for many years on their launches and releases. The court recommended that Epic comply with the App Store guidelines while their case moves forward, guidelines they’ve followed for the past decade until they created this situation. Epic has refused.”
The Cupertino, Calif.-based technology giant said Epic has repeatedly submitted updates of its Fortnite video game that are “designed to violate the guidelines of the App Store.”
Apple added that this is “not fair to all other developers on the App Store and is putting customers in the middle of their fight. We hope that we can work together again in the future, but unfortunately that is not possible today.”
The decision means Epic Games will no longer be able to submit new apps or updates and that users playing Fortnite will no longer be able to make in-app-purchases. Apple said Epic has also directed users toward AppleCare to seek refunds.
Apple also said it isn’t terminating the account used for Epic’s Unreal Engine game development platform, complying with a recent court order.