Apple countersued Epic Games on Tuesday, claiming the company breached a contract when it introduced a new in-app payment system within the popular video game Fortnite.
Apple asked U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers for punitive damages and to block Epic from continuing what it calls unfair business practices, in the escalating skirmish between the two companies.
Late Friday, Epic sought an injunction to force Apple to put “Fortnite” back on the App Store, disclosing that roughly a third of “Fortnite” players access it through the App Store.
“Although Epic portrays itself as a modern corporate Robin Hood, in reality it is a multibillion-dollar enterprise that simply wants to pay nothing for the tremendous value it derives from the App Store,” Apple said in a filing Tuesday.
An Apple spokesman declined further comment, but pointed to a company statement on the Epic case called “Free Fortnite.” Epic was not immediately available for comment.
The latest legal jousting comes nearly a month after Epic introduced the payment system within the “Fortnite” to side-step the 30% fee Apple and Google charge for in-app purchases. Epic’s gambit prompted both companies to remove the game from their app marketplaces, with Apple also terminating Epic’s Apple developer account.
Epic eventually sued Apple and Google in federal court in Northern California, accusing the company of anti-competitive conduct.
