The court allowed Apple not to return Fortnite to the App Store

Apple has been spared the need to restore Epic Games' Fortnite app to its App Store - a significant but not complete victory for the tech giant in a precedent-ridden dispute over the fairness of the high fees Apple charges for apps in its ecosystem.

According to Bloomberg, this decision was made by US District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers. However, this was not a complete loss for Epic Games: the company achieved a ban on Apple blocking the company's key Unreal Engine graphics technology, which is used in numerous third-party developments.

“Epic Games and Apple have the right to sue at their discretion, but they must not create chaos for outsiders,” the judge ruled. According to her, neither side's position guarantees victory. The next court hearing is scheduled for September 28.

The compromise reflects the negative attitude towards Apple from many app developers - they argue that its App Store commission of 30% is excessive, and the company's entire policy is aimed at promoting only its own services.

Fortnite itself is free, but the creator company makes over $30 million a month from in-game purchases. Apple takes a commission from them.

• The conflict between Apple and developers began on August 13, when Epic Games informed customers that it would begin offering a direct purchase scheme for goods in the game Fortnite, and then Apple simply removed the game application from the App Store, blocking access to more than a billion iPhone and iPad users.

• After Epic Games filed a lawsuit against Apple, Tim Cook's company gave developers until August 28 to change their minds and resume paying commissions, otherwise Apple promises to remove Epic accounts and also stop supporting Unreal Engine in its ecosystem. At the same time, users who previously bought Fortnite will be able to continue playing it on the iPhone, but will no longer receive any updates.

• The stakes are high: while Epic Games believes that Apple is abusing its monopoly position, the IT company says that the developer's actions are destroying the entire app store model. requests to reduce the commission The decision will be a precedent: publishers have already sent .