(Reuters) – Apple Inc
The move came after Epic Games enabled a direct payment feature on the Fortnite app, which Apple said violated its in-app payment guidelines.
“Apple’s removal of Fortnite is yet another example of Apple flexing its enormous power in order to impose unreasonable restraints and unlawfully maintain its 100% monopoly over the iOS In-App Payment Processing Market,” Epic said in a statement.
Apple takes a cut of between 15% and 30% for most payments made inside apps, though there are some exceptions for companies that already have a credit card on file with iPhone customers if they also offer an in-app payment that would benefit Apple.
“The fact that their (Epic) business interests now lead them to push for a special arrangement does not change the fact that these guidelines create a level playing field for all developers and make the store safe for all users,” Apple said in a statement.
Epic Games free-to-play battle-royal videogame “Fortnite” has reached massive popularity among young gamers since its launch in 2017, and competes with Tencent Holdings’ “PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds”.
(Reporting by Munsif Vengattil and Ayanti Bera in Bengaluru and Stephen Nellis in San Francisco; Editing by Sriraj Kalluvila)
