Apple cuts off Epic from its tools, endangering future Unreal Engine projects on iOS and Mac

Epic Games, locked in a legal battle with Apple and Google over developer payments, now says Apple is threatening to cut the company off from developer accounts and iOS and Mac development tools. This decision, expected to go into effect Aug. 28, might have widespread effects on App Store development. This goes beyond “Fortnite,” the Epic Games title that was the catalyst for the legal fight. Epic Games is also the creator of Unreal Engine, which has not only become an industry standard for creating video games, but as well as film, commercial business and TV shows like “The Mandalorian” on Disney+. Without that access, all future versions of Unreal Engine can’t be developed for iOS and Mac devices like iPhones and Macbooks. In turn, subsequent updates to iOS or Mac devices could make software running on Unreal Engine unusable. Epic has filed for a temporary restraining order to stop the move from taking effect.