Fortnite maker Epic Games sued Apple on Thursday after its hugely popular video game was removed from Apple’s App Store. The company has also filed a lawsuit against Google. The suits come after Apple and Google blocked the game after Epic introduced a direct payment system.
Epic alleges in one lawsuit that Apple is engaging in anti-competitive behavior and monopolistic practices through its app store, which is a major distributor of games and apps for Apple devices. The game maker also tweeted that Epic “defied the App Store Monopoly. In retaliation, Apple is blocking Fortnite from a billion devices.” In its lawsuit against Google, Epic Games claimed that the company was abandoning its “don’t be evil” motto.
In a statement, Apple said Fortnite was removed because it violated rules that apply to every developer. “Epic enabled a feature in its app which was not reviewed or approved by Apple, and they did so with the express intent of violating the App Store guidelines regarding in-app payments that apply to every developer who sells digital goods or services,” the company said. A Google spokesman said: “While Fortnite remains available on Android, we can no longer make it available on Play because it violates our policies. However, we welcome the opportunity to continue our discussions with Epic and bring Fortnite back to Google Play.”
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