Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney is still going hard at Apple, calling out new fees the company set up in Japan. Despite recent court wins for Epic, Sweeney says Apple is keeping Fortnite off iPhones there because of what he labels junk fees on payments. He specifically criticized a reported 21 percent charge on third-party in-app purchases, along with a separate 5 percent cut from revenue earned by competing app stores, plus mandatory transaction tracking.
This fight extends from ongoing legal battles in the United States. A judge previously found Apple in violation of an order about opening up payment methods, stopping them from collecting commissions on outside purchases. An appeals court agreed with the judge's overall ruling but reversed the specific penalty, sending it back for adjustment. The court told both companies to negotiate an appropriate commission rate for external payments, leaving the ban on Apple collecting those fees in place until a final decision.
Sweeney remains completely unwilling to accept any percentage-based fee on developer revenue from transactions Apple does not process. The situation has set a precedent, with Epic pushing for similar sideloading rights in other markets like Australia. Apple must now work with Epic under court supervision to settle on a payment structure, assuming no agreement is reached independently.
This fight extends from ongoing legal battles in the United States. A judge previously found Apple in violation of an order about opening up payment methods, stopping them from collecting commissions on outside purchases. An appeals court agreed with the judge's overall ruling but reversed the specific penalty, sending it back for adjustment. The court told both companies to negotiate an appropriate commission rate for external payments, leaving the ban on Apple collecting those fees in place until a final decision.
Sweeney remains completely unwilling to accept any percentage-based fee on developer revenue from transactions Apple does not process. The situation has set a precedent, with Epic pushing for similar sideloading rights in other markets like Australia. Apple must now work with Epic under court supervision to settle on a payment structure, assuming no agreement is reached independently.
