Apple will not have to reinstate Fortnite to its app store, at least for now, a federal judge ruled Monday night in a historic legal battle between the iPhone maker and the producer of one of the world’s most popular video games.
Under a temporary restraining order issued by Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers, Apple must not block Unreal Engine, a major game development software suite owned by Epic, from its app store. Epic declined to comment. In a statement Tuesday, Apple reiterated its claim that Fortnite’s ban could be resolved by Epic itself. „We agree with Judge Rogers that ‚the sensible way to proceed‘ is for Epic to comply with the App Store guidelines and continue to operate while the case proceeds,“ Apple said. „If Epic takes the steps the judge has recommended, we will gladly welcome Fortnite back onto iOS. We look forward to making our case to the court in September.“ The order resolves what had become a growing concern over the future of video games, film and television ever since Apple and Epic went to court earlier this month. Unreal Engine is a major design platform used to create lifelike and ultra-realistic computer-generated scenes. It’s played a central role in video games including PlayerUnknown’s „Battlegrounds“ and „Borderlands 3,“ and has provided the backdrops in TV shows such as Disney’s (DIS) „The Mandalorian.
