Fortnite Lawsuit Forces Valve To Give Apple Info On 436 Steam Games
In a legal victory for Apple in its lawsuit against Epic, a judge has ruled that Valve must comply with a subpoena to turn over data on 436 games.
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Apple has secured a legal victory in its ongoing legal battle with Epic Games, as a judge has sided with the corporate giant and ordered Epic’s rival company Valve to release data for 436 of the games it has distributed over the years. Valve has protested the move as one that would cause undue burden on its employees, but Apple insists that the data will help resolve the tumultuous lawsuit that Epic filed against the company back in August 2020.
Apple and Epic’s professional tiff started over 30% distribution fees, specifically in Epic’s landmark MOBA, Fortnite, which was available at the time on iOS. Apple, as is fairly standard practice, takes 30% from every player transaction made in the game on iOS, particularly the purchase of Epic’s in-game currency, V-bucks. Epic, feeling that Apple and Google, which also engages in the practice, were price-gouging in order to turn more of a profit, undercut the two providers by reducing the cost of V-bucks, but only if players bought them via Epic Direct. This would circumvent Apple and Google’s ability to claim 30% of the profits, which of course, neither of them was about to take lying down. Apple removed Fortnite from its App Store in response, with Google following suit. Epic swiftly responded by filing a lawsuit against Apple, alleging monopolization and anti-competitive conduct. As part of the suit, Apple eventually subpoenaed Epic’s direct rival, Valve, for information about its services and sales figures in order to dispel the allegations Epic levied against them.
Valve, formerly an innocent bystander in the fight, refused to cooperate with Apple, alleging that the information Apple sought placed an undue burden on its employees, who would have to compile information that they didn’t really have. After negotiations between the two companies failed, a judge has officially ruled in Apple’s favor, meaning that Valve has to surrender information on 436 games that it has distributed. As MacRumors reported from Law360’s paywalled report, U.S. Magistrate Judge Thomas S. Hixson has ordered Valve to produce data from 2017 on, although Apple originally requested from 2015. “Don’t worry,” he reportedly told Valve, who was concerned about the amount of work the ruling would place on its employers, “it’s not just you.”
Hixson’s remarks are in reference to the large number of subpoenas that Apple has reportedly doled out, seeking the same sort of information they’re requesting from Valve. Apple will likely be using the information to prove that their business model is no different than models used by other companies, and therefore disprove the accusations of anti-competitive conduct and monopolization.
Valve has until mid-March to supply the information, which is a few months before Apple and Epic finally make their way to trial in July. But the entire debacle isn’t winning Apple any points from the gamer community, and even when the trial comes to its inevitable conclusion, that reputation is going to linger longer than the company’s Fortnite ban.
Link Source : https://screenrant.com/fortnite-lawsuit-valve-apple-436-steam-games/