Apple is currently seeking $73 million dollars from Epic Games, to reimburse the costs that Apple spent during their recent legal battles.
The US Supreme Court only just ended the long-running dispute between Apple and Epic Games.
They finally decided not to hear appeals from either side, as reported by CNBC. Also, the US Supreme Court declined to hear Epic Games’ antitrust challenge over App Store practices.
Reporter and Twitter user @games_fray first noticed Apple’s move and posted their findings on Twitter.
Apple declares it spent over $80 million dollars in relevant court defenses. Since Epic Games won one of ten counts, Apple actually reduced the reimbursements by several million dollars.
The news follows Epic Games’ victorious lawsuit against Google in December 2023. After four weeks of testimony, Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney tweeted that a jury found against a Google Play monopoly.
Epic Games similarly hoped to address Apple’s App Store strategy, as Apple is demanding a 27% cut from sales earned after a customer links out.
Naturally, fans are now concerned about how Apple’s massive reimbursements could potentially affect Epic Games’ Fortnite.
Fortnite is currently in a state of major expansion. The developers introduced a brand-new Fortnite Festival, which expects to get hundreds of songs every year.
The devs also recently announced big plans for Rocket Racing. They plan to release Season 1, speedrun leaderboards, new customization options, and creator-made tracks early this year.
Both Fortnite Festival and Rocket Racing are ambitious additions that quickly stirred up a lot of new interest in Fortnite overall.
It remains to be seen if Epic Games will be able to successfully meet Apple’s demands without losing steam regarding Fortnite. Further, $73 million may not be the final requested sum.
For more of the latest Epic Games news, you can read about the recent leaks featuring new details for Fortnite’s Rocket Racing Editor.
Epic should sell to Tencent fully already they can cover this and get them out of trouble with Google and Apple.