California Judge Yvonne Gonzales Rogers has denied Epic Games’ request for a preliminary injunction that would have required Apple to allow Fortnite back into the App Store, which means the app will continue to remain unavailable from Apple’s platform, according to MacRumors.
On the bright side (for Epic) the game developer did successfully win an order that will require Apple to continue to allow it to operate its Unreal Engine developer account.
On Aug. 13, Epic Games introduced a new direct payment option in the Fortnite app for iPhone and iPad, allowing players to purchase 1000 V-Bucks for US$7.99 rather than $9.99 through Apple’s in-app purchase mechanism. On Aug. 17, Apple threatened to stop Epic from being able to access its developer accounts and tools for iOS and Mac by August 28, which would have affected both “Fortnite” and the Unreal Engine.
Epic immediately filed a lawsuit against Apple in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California. The company also filed a request for a temporary restraining order, that would prevent Apple from continuing to delist the “Fortnite” app and preventing “any adverse action” against the company.
