• News

The Supreme Court denies both sides' appeals of Epic Games vs. Apple antitrust case

Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney calls the decision 'a sad outcome for all developers.'

Donovan Erskine

January 16, 2024 11:50 AM

Epic Games

1

Another chapter has come to a close in the legal battle between Apple and Epic Games, as the United States Supreme Court has denied the appeals made on both sides. This means that Apple will indeed be forced to allow developers to put links in their apps that direct them to pay outside of Apple’s ecosystem. On the other hand, the iPhone maker will not be required to allow third-party stores or sideloading on the App Store.

Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney took to Twitter/X to share the news of the dual appeal denial as well as his thoughts on the ruling. “The court battle to open iOS to competing stores and payments is lost in the United States,” he wrote. “A sad outcome for all developers.”

This all stems from Apple’s decision to boot Fortnite from the App Store in 2020 after publisher Epic Games implemented a feature that let it circumvent Apple’s 30 percent cut on App Store purchases. After a 2023 ruling, Apple would be required to allow the implementation of links that take users to third-party websites to spend their money. It’s this decision that was appealed by Apple and subsequently denied by SCOTUS.

It’s not all bad news for Apple, as Epic Games’ appeal was also denied. Had this appeal been successful, Apple would have also been forced to allow third-party marketplaces and sideloading to exist on the App Store.

The results of today’s decision also mean that Apple doesn’t have to allow Fortnite back on the App Store, and almost certainly won’t. That said, Sweeney still seems optimistic about the long-term fight to bring down Apple’s monopoly, specifically citing movement in other legislative bodies outside of the US. For a comprehensive history of the feud between Apple and Epic Games, as well as any future updates on the situation, Shacknews has you covered.

Donovan Erskine

News Editor

Donovan is a journalist from Maryland. His oldest gaming memory is playing Pajama Sam on his mom's desktop during weekends. Pokémon Emerald, Halo 2, and the original Star Wars Battlefront 2 were some of the most influential titles in awakening his love for video games. After interning for Shacknews throughout college, Donovan graduated from Bowie State University in 2020 with a major in broadcast journalism and joined the team full-time. He is a huge film fanatic and will talk with you about movies and games all day. You can follow him on twitter @Donimals_