Back in November, Apple subpoenaed Valve Software in an effort to gain ground against Epic Games. Apple was seeking data related to Steam sales, plus more, and it turns out it will be getting some of that data after all.
Epic Games currently finds itself locked in a legal battle with both Apple and Google. And that was by choice. While it was rumored, and expected, to be the case right from the start, the CEO of Epic Games has confirmed it was a planned, and well-organized, effort to try and change Apple's and Google's digital storefronts.
We've known for over a month now that Tim Cook, Apple's CEO, is going to testify in the legal battle with Epic Games. But today we find out just how long at least one deposition is going to take.
"Free Fortnite" is the rallying cry Epic Games has been calling out for months now, trying to get people to listen to their demands. Apple (and Google) pulled the massively popular battle royale game Fortnite from their digital storefronts earlier this year (due to actions on Epic Games' part), and, ever since, Epic Games has been trying to force Apple and Google's hands to get the game back on those platforms.
It's been a bit quiet on the Epic Games vs Apple front as of late. However, before 2020 wraps up, at least one judge had one more thing to add to the mix: ordering Apple's CEO (Tim Cook) and head of iOS and macOS development (Craig Federighi) to testify.
Early on Wednesday, Apple announced a big change to its fee structure for the App Store. Specifically, that it's reducing the money it takes from small businesses and developers.
GPU giant Nvidia brought its cloud-gaming service, dubbed GeForce, to the Mac back in February. And now, the company is reportedly expected to announce a web-based version of GeForce for iOS before year-end, with Fortnite as one of the launch titles.
Epic Games, the developer behind the mega-popular Fortnite Battle Royale sued Apple earlier this year. And while the judge overseeing the initial battle suggested a jury would be a worthwhile element to the ongoing proceedings, that will apparently not be the case.
Today marked the first hearing in what will probably be many in the fight between Apple and Epic Games. And we can probably expect this battle between two giant companies to go on for quite some time.
It took a bit longer than previously expected, but Epic Games has found its coalition of like-minded companies to "fight back" against Apple.
While the majority of attention for Fortnite is focused on its battle royale component, the game does offer another mode: Save the World. And now that is embroiled in the battle between Apple and Epic Games.
According to Tim Sweeney, the CEO of Epic Games, Apple has lost sight of what's really important in the tech industry.