Fortnite vs Apple Trial completes 9 days: Who is winning and will Fortnite mobile return anytime soon?

Epic Games vs Apple Trial completes 9 days, but Fortnite Mobile isn't close to coming back on iOS (Image via Sportskeeda)
Epic Games vs Apple Trial completes 9 days, but Fortnite Mobile isn't close to coming back on iOS (Image via Sportskeeda)

The Epic Games vs Apple anti-trust trial has reached its ninth day, and a lot has been disclosed about Fortnite Mobile returning to iOS. Epic Games hinted that they want the game back on iOS, but Apple seems to have the upper hand in the trial so far.

Popular YouTuber GOLDEN uploaded a video to YouTube explaining the events of day nine. Executives from Apple took the stand to put forth their defense, and several questions were raised about the company trying to monopolize the market.

Epic Games previously alleged that Apple has been running a monopoly since 2010. They claim that Apple has built an empire by charging developers 15-30% commission on in-app purchases.

All these statistics beg one question: will Fortnite be back on iOS anytime soon?

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Apple vs Epic Games anti-trust trial: Fortnite Mobile's return on iOS store looks more difficult than ever

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Fortnite may not return to Apple's iOS store anytime soon. That being said, the game could return only if Epic Games can prove their claims. However, YouTuber GOLDEN mentions that Apple has an edge over Epic in the courtroom proceedings so far.

Professor Loren Hitt from Apple explained copious details about commission rates and market value charged by developers. It was revealed that Apple did not increase the commission rate in the last 10 years.

The discussion shifted to Fortnite when Apple executives mentioned that 35.9% of iOS Fortnite users play cross-platform. They also confirmed that there were 115 million iOS Fortnite players before the ban. The discussion also revealed that 75% of these iOS users do not make any in-game purchases.

The trial also revealed that Xbox One and Playstation 4 generate more revenue than all the other platforms combined. This includes iOS, Switch, Windows, Android, and MacOS.

The proceedings highlighted how Roblox isn't violating Apple's policies. This has become a key narrative in the trial as Apple is comparing Roblox to Fortnite. Roblox being categorized as an experience might make a huge difference in this anti-trust trial between two tech goliaths.

Sony and Microsoft take the 30% commission from developers just like Apple does. This is one of the key factors Apple executives highlighted in the trial to defend against the monopoly allegation from Epic Games.

Epic Games fired back by claiming that other platforms do not make up or serve as a substitute for the iOS Fortnite player base. This shows that Fortnite's developers do want the game to return to iOS in the future.

Professor Herbert Hovenkamp, an antitrust law expert, remarked that Epic Games can only win this trial if they prove that Apple runs a monopoly over the market. However, he issued a public statement saying that Apple has the upper hand over Fortnite's developers in this trial so far.

The anti-trust trial will run for another week until U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez declares a verdict. Apple CEO Tim Cook is set to take the stand as the final witness.

Until then, the best players can do is wait patiently and follow the court proceedings to stay up-to-date with all the developments.

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