Judge blocks Apple move to hamper Epic's Unreal Engine

SAN FRANCISCO: A federal judge on Monday blocked Apple Inc from shutting down an Epic Games tool that is relied upon by hundreds of other app makers but had become the subject of an antitrust battle between the companies. The ruling safeguards "Fortnite" creator Epic's computer graphics software Unreal Engine, which it offers through an affiliate business and which hundreds of games and other apps use to power their apps on Apple's iPhones.

"Epic Games and Apple are at liberty to litigate against each other, but their dispute should not create havoc to bystanders," Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers wrote in a ruling late on Monday. The legal battle arose after Apple this month removed Epic's "Fortnite" game from Apple's App Store and an affiliated account, effectively blocking distribution of Unreal Engine, when Epic rolled out its own method of in-game purchases in "Fortnite" rather than using the required Apple system that charges commission of between 15% and 30%.