The courts find that eliminating the ability to upgrade the graphics engine would harm the video game industry as a whole.
Another chapter in the legal battle that Epic Games and Apple have been fighting for just a few weeks. Last Monday, the attorneys representing both companies appeared in court via videoconference on Zoom. The apple company had threatened to delete Epic’s development account on iOS and macOS devices, so the Unreal Engine was in danger of not being able to update. However, the judge in charge of the case, Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers, has temporarily paralyzed those actions, under the premise that the goodbye of Unreal Engine on Apple platforms will significantly harm the video game industry.
Epic Games argues that if Fortnite disappears and its development account is deleted on August 28, the effects will be “irreparable.” According to the court document, the decision to paralyze these measures has been taken due to the “potential and significant damage that will occur both in the Unreal Engine platform and in the video game industry in general, including third party developers and players. ”.
Unreal Engine 5.
Fortnite will not return, at least for now
One of lime and another of sand for Epic Games, since the judge has rejected the request that Fortnite return to the App Store. In any case, there is still a long way to go on the judicial path that will open in the coming weeks. On September 28, a hearing will take place in which the courts will decide whether Fortnite and Unreal Engine remain on the platform until the next phase of the trial, which will take place in April 2021.
Microsoft recently sent a statement to the courts in support of Epic Games. According to Redmond, removing the Unreal Engine will harm both Xbox itself and independent developers, who will be forced to choose between abandoning users of those platforms or choosing a different technology to build their video games.
