Emails Reveal Epic Games Asked Apple for a Special Deal

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In a legal filing on Friday, emails show that Epic Games’ CEO Tim Sweeney asked Apple for a “side letter” that would give Epic special treatment.

Epic Games Emails

Apple Fellow Phil Schiller wrote in a declaration [PDF] that Epic Games asked Apple for special treatment:

On June 30, 2020, Epic’s CEO Tim Sweeney wrote my colleagues and me an email asking for a ‘side letter’ from Apple that would create a special deal for only Epic that would fundamentally change the way in which Epic offers apps on Apple’s iOS platform.

Mr. Sweeney wanted permission to have its own app store on iOS. Then, on the morning that Fortnite changed its payment system, Mr. Sweeney emailed Apple to say it “will no longer adhere to Apple’s payment processing restrictions.”

After Apple removed Fortnite from the App Store over this move, Epic Games filed a lawsuit against Apple and Google, and asked the judge for a temporary restraining order so Apple couldn’t remove Epic’s access from developer tools with a deadline of August 28. Then, the Epic v. Apple case was assigned to a different judge, so Epic has renotice the TRO.

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