Microsoft Shows Support For Epic In Fight Against Apple

Microsoft has thrown its support for Epic Games as it engages Apple in a legal feud over the iPhone giant's perceived “monopolistic practices” when it comes to in-app payment methods.

Epic and Apple's fight over "Fortnite" could spill over and affect hundreds of companies and developers, previous reports indicated. The game publisher said Apple has threatened to shut down its developer account, resulting in “devastating” consequences such as lack of access to SDKs, APIs and other things it needs to continue supporting its Unreal Engine – a software suite used by hundreds of developers and companies for a variety of purposes not limited to video games.

Now, Microsoft has stepped up to show its support for Epic, The Verge reported. In a declaration, Kevin Gammill, general manager of Gaming Developer Experiences, explained how Apple's decision to shut down Epic's developer account will affect game developers and creators, as well as players, including those playing using iOS and macOS devices.

The Microsoft executive said that if Epic will no longer be able to support Unreal Engine for iOS and macOS, video game companies such as Microsoft will be forced to choose between “abandoning its customers” in Apple's ecosystem or choose a different game engine to use in future projects.

Microsoft uses Unreal Engine, which also has applications in the medical and entertainment fields, for some of its titles, such as “Forza Street.”

The move to shift to another engine will be costly and might be difficult for many developers who do not have the resources to develop their own engine, Microsoft noted.

Those who are in the middle of game development using Unreal Engine will also have to face “difficult decisions” and suffer from “significant sunk costs and lost time.”

Epic also discussed the consequences of Apple's move in a filing, which stated, “The cascading effect of losing ongoing Unreal Engine compatibility will threaten the viability of the engine and disrupt development of a constellation of apps and uses that rely on its graphics to render hundreds of video games, the human brain, Baby Yoda and space flight.”