Epic vs Apple: Supreme court verdict to hurt NFTs & Web3 gaming

Epic vs Apple Supreme court verdict to hurt NFTs & Web3 gaming Epic vs Apple Supreme court verdict to hurt NFTs & Web3 gaming

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The US Supreme Court recently announced its verdict in the Apple vs. Epic Games suit. The verdict has massively affected Epic Games’ positioning in the market.

The ruling allows Apple a chance to appeal the decision to the Supreme Court. Till then, Apple has the choice to uphold its App Store guidelines. It allows the giant to prevent iOS apps from redirecting users to any external payment marketplace or system.

As expected, the news does not only hurt Epic Games but also the future of NFT and Web3 gaming. Epic Games, known for developing Fortnite, filed an antitrust lawsuit against Apple. The core of the case revolved around Apple’s App Store commission (up to 30%) and policies.

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Moreover, the lawsuit highlighted Apple’s resilience to allow users exclusively to get apps from the App Store. This included the execution of online transactions within the App Store ecosystem.

Judge Yvonne Gonzalez found Appe in violation of unfair competition laws in California. The injunction asked Apple to allow developers to add buttons and links that led to alternative payment systems.

The ruling was upheld by the 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco. However, the decision was uplifted temporarily back in July 2023. Now, the US Supreme Court has refused to overrule the decision to suspend the injunction.

This is not the first time that Apple has encountered criticism for its App Store policies. Such regulations deter digital assets, such as NFTs and cryptocurrencies, from entering the iOS circle.

Even then, the US Supreme Court has allowed Apple the chance to overturn the previous ruling. A couple of months ago, Gods Unchained, a Web3 gaming title, was introduced to the Epic Games Store.

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However, the recent implications will restrict the game’s expansion across different ecosystems. For now, gamers will have to wait for Apple to uplift its commission and payment system guidelines.