Apple argues, once again, that it has a right to enforce its rules and that it’s not being anticompetitive. Apple claims Epic has benefited in many ways from the partnership and Fortnite’s placement in the App Store and that a 30 percent commission on in-app purchases is a small price to pay for those benefits. Apple alleges that Epic is doing all of this to advertise Fortnite and that Epic has sacrificed third-party developers, who use its Unreal Engine to build 3D games and other programs, to advance its own interests.

“This lawsuit (and the front-page headlines it has generated) appears to be part of a marketing campaign designed to reinvigorate interest in Fortnite,” the opposition states. 

Apple claims interest in Fortnite dropped by nearly 70 percent from October 2019 to July 2020, and that Epic is “a saboteur, not a martyr.”

“The only reason third-party Fortnite players and Unreal Engine developers are threatened by this commercial dispute between Epic and Apple is because Epic is sacrificing them to advance its own commercial interests,” the court document reads.

These fire comments don’t immediately change anything. They only suggest that Apple is preparing for a fight. Next, Apple and Epic are scheduled to appear in court on September 28th.