Microsoft is backing Epic Games in its lawsuit against Apple—but only to prevent the antitrust battle from cutting off access to the popular Unreal gaming engine.
“Today we filed a statement in support of Epic's request to keep access to the Apple SDK (software development kit) for its Unreal Engine,” Microsoft Xbox Chief Phil Spencer said on Sunday. “Ensuring that Epic has access to the latest Apple technology is the right thing for gamer developers and gamers.”
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At stake is Epic Games’ developer accounts for the iOS and Mac software ecosystem. Apple says it will revoke the accounts this Friday, Aug. 28, unless the company removes a direct payment method from its hit game, Fortnite. If it doesn’t, Epic Games risks losing its ability to develop and distribute software to Apple products.
That would be bad news for the millions of software developers who rely on Unreal Engine for game creation or 3D modeling on iOS and macOS. As a result, Epic Games is asking a US judge to force Apple to keep the developer access alive until the antitrust battle between the two can be settled in court.
(Credit: Epic Games)
On Sunday, Microsoft filed a statement in support of Epic Games’s call to retain that access. “Epic Games’ Unreal Engine is critical technology for numerous game creators including Microsoft,” Microsoft's General Manager of Gaming Developer Experiences, Kevin Gammill, wrote in the court filing. “In Microsoft’s view there are very few other options available for creators to license with as many features and as much functionality as Unreal Engine across multiple platforms, including iOS.”
According to Gammill, Microsoft currently has a multi-year deal to license the Unreal Engine for its own games on PC, Xbox, and iOS. One example includes Forza Street, a Microsoft-created game available for the iPhone and iPad.
“If Unreal Engine cannot support games for iOS or macOS, Microsoft would be required to choose between abandoning its customers and potential customers on the iOS and macOS platforms or choosing a different game engine when preparing to develop new games,” Gammill said.
However, moving to another game engine wouldn’t be easy. Game developers would not just have to pay more money and time investing in new platform, they might also have to scrap entire games and start from scratch, Gammill said.
“Apple’s removal of Unreal Engine’s ability to develop updates and improvements for iOS and macOS could also harm already-launched iOS and macOS games built on Unreal Engine,” he added. “If the game engine can no longer develop updates that take advantage of new iOS or macOS features, fix software bugs, or patch security flaws, this will harm games that have already launched on iOS and macOS.”
A judge is slated to hear arguments about the developer accounts later today. However, Apple says no court intervention is necessary; Epic Games could easily resolve the whole controversy if it simply removed the direct payment option from Fortnite.
“The offer to cure remains open. If Epic returns to compliance with Apple’s contracts and policies, Fortnite would be available, within days, on the App Store, and Epic would remain in the Developer Program to continue its work with Unreal Engine,” Apple said in a Friday court filing.
However, Epic Games contends it’s fighting Apple’s alleged monopoly through the iOS App Store, and is calling on the courts to decide.
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