Both Epic Games and Apple have agreed that the legal battle over Fortnite should not be decided by a jury. The iconic battle royale is still unavailable on iPhones following its ban, which Epic Games has used as evidence for its argument that Apple is maintaining an unjust monopoly over the iOS app distribution space. The legal papers the developer filed to back up this claim have led to a lengthy confrontation between both companies.
Both sides have been fighting hard during the legal dispute, and clearly neither company is afraid of getting its hands dirty. After banning Fortnite, Apple went on to ban all games developed by Epic Games, and even prevented the developer from updating Fortnite on Mac computers, leading to the cancellation of Fortnite: Save the World on Mac. Apple even threatened to remove all of Epic's developer accounts on iOS, which would prevent the company from updating and maintaining its Unreal Engine on iPhones. Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers stepped in to prevent Apple from doing this, stating that it would cause incredible harm to developers who weren't involved in the Fortnite feud.
Rogers has also recently suggested that the dispute be resolved by a jury instead of a court. Apple requested exactly that in a countersuit filed earlier this month. However, as has been reported by GamesIndustry.biz, the company has changed its tune recently, and, surprisingly enough, it is now agreeing with its enemy Epic Games. A joint statement was filed by both parties' respective counsels, stating that the companies had met and agreed that it would be in both of their best interests if the case was tried by court and not a jury. Apple has officially withdrawn its request for a jury.
The move to prevent a jury from ruling on this case is an interesting one with a lot of ramifications. The legal battle has impacted a lot of people who, for one reason or another, can't play the beloved battle royale on their phones anymore. Giving ordinary people a chance to weigh in on the outcome of this case could have been a big decision that would have drastically impacted the outcome. One can't help but wonder exactly what was said in the meeting that convinced both companies not to let it happen.
Whoever ends up presiding over this case, there's no question that it won't be resolved anytime soon. Apple has stated that it's prepared to let the iOS ban stretch on at least a full year, and it will likely be a similar time frame before this case sees resolution. That's bad news for mobile gamers who miss Fortnite, but it can't be denied that the scope of this battle is well beyond just the one game. The Fortnite feud could change the mobile gaming space forever, and for a result that monumental, it's surely worth the wait.
Source: GamesIndustry.biz