Apple has announced that it plans to argue that it faces competition in the video game market in its lawsuit battle against Epic. The company claims that it has competition in the market for video game transactions.
For those unaware, the Cupertino based giant is facing a legal battle against the video game publisher, who filed an antitrust allegation against the firm. The studio behind Fortnite sued the iPhone maker over the 15 to 30 percent commission that it charges for the use of its in app payment systems. The studio also called out Apple’s longstanding practices of exerting complete control of deciding which apps are allowed to be installed on its devices, implying anti competitive behavior.
Last year when Epic launched an in app payment system that bypassed Apple’s commission, the latter removed Fortnite from its App Store. At the moment, the case is expected to be heard in Oakland, California in the US in May 2021. Epic has built its case around the billion strong userbase of the iPhones, which represents a distinct market for software developers, as per a Reuters report. So, the company is claiming that Apple is abusing its position and forcing developers to pay fees on transactions.
In a filing that Apple plans to make, it rejects the notion and states that the proper market to analyze the case in the video game transaction market. In other words, it is arguing that platforms such as Nintendo and Microsoft Xbox gaming consoles also limit the hardware that can run on their platforms and charge a fee as well. So stay tuned for more, as we will be providing updates when additional information is available regarding the matter.
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