Apple won’t let Epic Games re-apply for its developer program for a year

As part of the ongoing dispute and lawsuit between Epic Games and Apple, the Cupertino-based tech company terminated the Fortnite creator’s developer account, meaning that it can no longer publish apps on Apple’s platform. Apple has now said that it will not let Epic Games reapply for the license for at least a year, meaninging Fortnite may not come back to iOS until August 2021.

Making the announcement, Apple said ‘On August 28, 2020, Apple terminated Epic's Developer Program account (Team ID '84), stating “Apple is exercising its right in Apple's sole discretion to terminate your status as a registered Apple Developer pursuant to the Apple Developer Agreement and is terminating the Developer Agreement and the [PLA] pursuant to their terms . . . . [W]e will deny your reapplication to the Apple Developer Program for at least a year”’.

This, according to industry analyst Daniel Ahmad means that “Assuming no changes, it's unlikely Fortnite returns to iOS before August 2021”. Of course, it is worth noting that Epic Games has filed for a preliminary injunction in pursuit of getting this action repealed – the results of which have yet to be announced.

Still, it is interesting nonetheless to see that Apple is willing to ban Fortnite from its platform for at least a year, despite the Battle Royale title being a major money maker for the smartphone manufacturer. If nothing else, this most recent move by Apple has proven that it will not be backing down any time soon.

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KitGuru says: What do you think about the Apple v Epic lawsuit? Did you play Fortnite on iOS? Do you think Epic Games will win the injunction? Let us know down below.

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