Epic says lawsuit against Apple is about 'basic freedoms of consumers'

Free Fortnite
Free Fortnite (Image credit: Epic Games)

What you need to know

  • Tim Sweeney had more to say about its fight against Apple and Google.
  • The Epic Games CEO sent out a series of tweets Friday on the subject.
  • He argues that their fight is about "the basic freedoms of all consumers and developers."

Epic says that its fight against Apple and Google is about more than money - it's about freedom.

Reported by AppleInsider, Tim Sweeney, the CEO Epic Games, sent out a series of tweets on Friday saying that the lawsuit is more about choice for consumers and developers rather than a way for the company to earn more from its customers.

"At the most basic level, we're fighting for the freedom of people who bought smartphones to install apps from sources of their choosing, the freedom for creators of apps to distribute them as they choose, and the freedom of both groups to do business directly."

Some have shrugged off the lawsuit, saying that it's just about two huge corporations fighting over getting more money than the other. Sweeney says that this isn't correct and that that the suit is more about "the basic freedoms of all consumers and developers."

"Another argument against supporting #FreeFortnite is this is just a billion dollar company fighting a trillion dollar company about money ... But the fight isn't over Epic wanting a special deal, it's about the basic freedoms of all consumers and developers."

Sweeney argues that Apple and Google's app store rules and fees are hurting developers and separating gamers from game creators.

"Finally, there's nothing wrong with fighting about money ... You work hard to earn this stuff. When you spent it, the way it's divided determines whether your money funds the creation of games or is taken by middlemen who use their power to separate gamers from game creators."

Fortnite was removed from Apple and Google's App Store earlier this week after Epic Games attempted to bypass each store's payment system, a violation of each app store's rules. The company filed a lawsuit against each company within hours of the removal.

Joe Wituschek
Contributor

Joe Wituschek is a Contributor at iMore. With over ten years in the technology industry, one of them being at Apple, Joe now covers the company for the website. In addition to covering breaking news, Joe also writes editorials and reviews for a range of products. He fell in love with Apple products when he got an iPod nano for Christmas almost twenty years ago. Despite being considered a "heavy" user, he has always preferred the consumer-focused products like the MacBook Air, iPad mini, and iPhone 13 mini. He will fight to the death to keep a mini iPhone in the lineup. In his free time, Joe enjoys video games, movies, photography, running, and basically everything outdoors.

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