“ On July 30, 2020, Epic CEO Tim Sweeney wrote to me and my colleagues in an email asking for a ‘side agreement’ with Apple, which would include a special deal with Epic that will revolutionize Epic’s iOS app distribution,” said Phil Schiller, former vice president of the Cupertino-based company, is now an Apple advisor and head of the App Store.    

It is worth noting that Sweeney previously said that Epic does not plan to seek “special conditions” for the use of the App Store, but seeks to fight for the fundamental rights of developers and consumers. Now Apple has announced that Sweeney has asked Apple to allow Fortnite to use its own payment mechanism. Phil Schiller stated that Sweeney wrote to him the same day that Fortnite’s payment mechanism was changed, and stated that Epic ” will no longer comply with Apple’s payment processing restrictions .” “ Due to restrictions imposed by Apple, Epic is unable to provide certain features to consumers in our iOS apps, ” Sweeney wrote in another letter received by top Apple executives, including Tim Cook.

It is worth noting that Epic asked the court to approve a ruling on the basis of which Fortnite could return to the App Store during the proceedings, but Apple is not ready to take such a step. “ Following their own voluntary action, Epic is now seeking help. However, she herself created an emergency situation, ”- said in the conclusion of Apple’s lawyers.

Apple’s position remains unchanged. If Epic removes its own payment mechanism from Fortnite, then the game can return to the App Store. If that doesn’t happen, Apple will block Epic Games’ access to iOS app development tools.