Epic wanted to take a bite out of Apple, but we suspect this is one worm they didn't expect to sink their teeth into.
Today, Apple has issued formal counterclaims against Epic's lawsuit. In the claims, which are public and can be viewed here, Apple paints Epic as a greedy corporation feeling a tad salty over the millions of dollars they've made off of Fortnite. In the document's brutal opening salvo, the tech giant lays Epic's Battle Bus bare.
"Although Epic portrays itself as a modern corporate Robin Hood," the suit reads, "in reality it is a multi-billion dollar enterprise that simply wants to pay nothing for the tremendous value it derives from the App Store."
The document then goes on to detail Epic's storied past with Apple, which includes documented exclusivity deals over titles like Infinity Blade, and Apple's free promotion of each new Fortnite season. On top of that, the claim points to Epic's use of "400 of Apple’s unique Application Programming Interface (API) frameworks and classes (such as Metal), as well as five different versions of Apple’s Software Development Kit (SDK)."
Spoken in plain terms? Apple's official line is that they've nurtured and supported Epic from the get-go, only to get a knife in the back for it. They characterize Epic's hotfix for microtransactions as being a betrayal of trust and a flagrant violation of contract, and are seeking financial recompense for those damages.
Who's in the right here, then? Well, it's a bit more complicated than that. Apple and Epic both raise perfectly valid issues, and at the end of the day, choosing a side here is more of a moral decision than one based in facts and logic. Apple is technically correct - Epic is a money-hungry corporation and not a struggling proletariat folk hero, and their rebrand as such is patently absurd and inauthentic. On the other side of the coin, however, Apple has long been criticized for its proprietary tech and monopolistic practices, and it's fair game for a company to call them out for it.
In cases like this, I'd argue that the best thing we can do is remember that brands aren't our friends, and that it's haunting how much money is thrown around by a precious few individuals. One thing is certain, though: the outcome of this case is going to set bold new precedents for the tech industry at large.
Fortnite is available now on every platform that's not owned by Apple.