Apple and Google removed the popular video game Fortnite from their app stores for violating in-app payment guidelines, prompting the developer of the game, Epic Games, to file anti-trust federal lawsuits.
Apple and Google indicated that the direct payment feature that was introduced within the Fortnite app is a violation of the laws of traffickers.
Epic did not claim money from Apple and Google in the lawsuit filed in court, but rather demanded court orders that would end many of the companies' practices related to app stores.
"Apple has become the giant that seeks to control markets, prevent competition and stifle innovation," Epic Games said in the lawsuit that it filed in northern California. "Apple is bigger, more powerful, more established and more harmful than the monopolists of the past."
Epic Games also attacked Apple via social media platforms, and launched a campaign to support the hashtag "#FreeFortnite", and urged players to request a refund from Apple if they lost access to the game.
And Apple gets between 15% and 30% of most subscriptions and payments made within applications, although there are some exceptions for companies.
Analysts believe that games are the largest contributor to spending within the App Store, which in turn is the largest component of Apple's services sector, generating $ 46.3 billion annually.
Apple said in a statement that Fortnite was removed, "because Epic Games launched the payment feature with the intent to violate app store guidelines."
Google also removed the Fortnite game from its app store, and said, "Despite what happened, we welcome the opportunity to continue our discussions with Epic Games and return Fortnite to the Google Play Store."
"The distribution of applications and in-app payments to Apple devices constitutes a special market for anti-competition purposes, because Apple users rarely leave its ecosystem," Epic Games said in the lawsuit.
The free video game has achieved immense popularity among young players since its launch in 2017, and competes with Tencent's "PUBG" game.
The removal of the game means that new players will not be able to download it, and that existing players cannot receive updates, but the game must continue to work on devices on which they are installed.
Fortnite received nearly two million downloads last July through the App Store and Google Play Store, and Apple users spent about $ 34 million, while Android users spent only about $ 2 million.
And given that Android works differently from iOS, users can still download Fortnite from Epic Games and other non-Google stores and install it on their devices.
"We are not seeking any monetary exemption, but rather an order that prevents Google from continuing to impose its anti-competitive behavior within the Android ecosystem," Epic Games asserted in its lawsuit.