Epic Games welcomes Microsoft as latest ally against Apple in ongoing 'Fortnite' row

Last week, it was reported that Epic Games could see support from Congress in its legal battle against Apple. The controversial row between the "Fortnite" publisher and the Cupertino-based tech titan started after the latter removed the game in question from its App Store. After asking the developers to update their app and revert control over in-game purchases, the game studio declined.

This prompted a response from Apple wherein it threatened to revoke access to its software developer tools. Now, Microsoft has reportedly joined in the fight and highlights how this would affect the gaming industry. Kevin Gammill, the company's general manager for Gaming Developer Experiences expressed the gaming industry's concern over the Unreal Engine game engine, CNBC reports.

"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," said Gammill.

Microsoft Xbox boss Phil Spencer recently posted on Twitter about the next step it took against Apple. "Today we filed a statement in support of Epic's request to keep access to the Apple SDK for its Unreal Engine. Ensuring that Epic has access to the latest Apple technology is the right thing for gamer developers & gamers." Earlier this month, the Redmond-based tech giant already criticised App Store policies alongside Facebook.

While some game studios use their in-house game engine, majority of game developers and even a few major game studios rely on Unreal Engine. If Apple revokes access Epic Games would be unable to work on fixes and updates for users who are on macOS and iOS. Analysts believe that it will not be long before other companies that share a similar outlook regarding Apple's alleged anti-competitive approach.

Meanwhile, Epic Games also filed a lawsuit against Google after the internet search group removed "Fortnite" from its Play Store. Although the dispute between the two has not escalated to the level it is with Apple. This might also blow up if both parties do not reach an agreement. It remains to be seen if there would be more companies aside from Microsoft that would join the cause against App Store regulation.