Epic CEO writes to Apple CEO declaring war over Fortnite: Read mail here

Apple and Epic Games the Fortnite game maker have been at war over App Store regulation. The wrangle began after Epic Games released an updated version of Fortnite that avoided the payment options in Google Play and Apple's App Store, which made Apple delete the game from the App Store. Apple said that the new version violated App Store rules as they need games and other apps to use Apple's in-app payment system soon after Epic hit back with a lawsuit.

In the latest legal filing, Apple shared an email which was sent by Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney to CEO Tim Cook and several other senior executives at 2 a.m. PT. The email was sent on August 13, among other things says that Epic would no longer fulfil with Apple's payment rules.

This is the email that appeared on https://cdn.vox-cdn.com website. The below email is part of the series of emails shared by Apple as evidence in the case.

From: Tim Sweeney

Date: August 13, 2020 at 2:08:53 AM PDT

To: Tim Cook, Phil Schiller, Craig

Federighi, Matt Fischer,

Douglas

Subject: Fortnite payments

Dear Tim, Phil, Craig, Matt, Douglas,

I'm writing to tell you that Epic will no longer adhere to Apple's payment processing restrictions.

Today, Epic is launching Epic direct payments in Fortnite on iOS, offering customers the choice of paying in-app through Epic direct payments or Apple payments and passing on the savings of Epic direct payments to customers in the form of lower prices.

We choose to follow this path in the firm belief that history and law are on our side. Smartphones are essential computing devices that people use to live their lives and conduct their business. Apple's position that its manufacture of a device gives it free rein to control, restrict, and tax commerce by consumers and creative expression by developers is repugnant to the principles of a free society. Ending these restrictions will benefit consumers in the form of lower prices, increased product selection, and business model innovation.

Henceforth, all versions of Fortnite that Epic submits to the App Store will contain these two payment options, side by side, for customers to choose among. We hope that Apple will reflect on its platform restrictions and begin to make historic changes that bring to the world's billion iOS consumers the rights and freedoms enjoyed on the world's leading open computing platforms including Windows and macOS. In support of this path, Epic's public explanation of our payment service will be neutral and factual to provide Apple with a chance to consider taking a supportive route and communicating it in a way of Apple's choosing.

If Apple chooses instead to take punitive action by blocking consumer access to Fortnite or forthcoming updates, then Epic will, regrettably, be in conflict with Apple on a multitude of fronts - creative, technical, business, and legal - for so long as it takes to bring about change, if necessary for many years.

Tim Sweeney

Epic Games