PUBG Mobile Might Be In Danger As Apple Threatened To Crush Epic Games' Unreal Engine

The ongoing battle between Epic Games and Apple has already made it next to impossible for iOS users to download Fortnite and receive updates.

But if the war escalates at this pace, it might drag hundreds of other games down with it. According to Epic Games’ legal filing on Monday, Apple’s action is an existential threat when it said it would disable the game company’s developer account.

If Apple is serious about this threat, Epic Games might be unable to offer the Unreal Engine for any Apple devices.

Unreal Engine is a long-time collection of technologies for 3D graphics. Those who need these functions can license it from Epic to spare them the pain of building everything themselves from scratch.

Unreal Engine has made a wide range of modern games possible. But bear in mind that it’s more common for PCs and consoles than mobile games.

The dispute between Apple and Epic Games started on Friday when the latter company updated Fortnite to enable users to buy items without going through the App Store platform. This is a clear violation of Apple’s policies so the iPhone maker removed the game from its platform.

Epic Games appeared to have prepared for this moment as not long after the removal, it filed a lawsuit against Apple for monopoly and anti-competitive behaviors.

Apple has been under fire with the law over the way its App Store, which is the only easy way users can install apps on its devices, works. Epic Games also launched a campaign calling fans of Fortnite to stand up and fight back.

On Monday, Apple threatened to not only remove Fortnite but also disable Epic Games’ developer account, which will end the existence of Unreal Engine on Mac and iPhone.

Taking another product of Epic Games down with Fortnite is a major escalation as the move can have an impact on games that have no relation to Fortnite and the ongoing tension but use Unreal Engine to power their creations.

Epic’s game engine has been used for a wide range of games, including Mortal Kombat, Pro Evolution Soccer 2019, and PUBG Mobile. Apple’s own Apple Arcade will also take a big hit because of this move.

Unreal not the only game in town

Unreal Engine has been around for about two decades. It’s built on the back-end Epic Games set up for Unreal, its 1998’s hit.

When developers want to make new games, they have two options. The first one is to license Unreal from Epic and have the game runs on multiple platforms, or building everything from the beginning on their own. Even companies like Nintendo are using the pack to build their games for Switch.

Unreal Engine now works on nearly every common computing platforms.

Those who don’t play Fortnite may still see Epic technologies when they play games like PUBG, Minecraft Dungeons, or Rocket League.

According to Epic, its technology’s outreach has gone beyond the gaming industry. Developers working in the medical field use them to create training apps, and the film industry uses them to make realistic environments and backgrounds.

Epic Games will take 5% of revenue from developers when their apps make more than $1 million in revenue. It is also open for negotiation with software makers.

As Epic Games is privately held, we have no idea how much it has made from licensing Unreal Engine to other developers. What we know is the company is worth $17.3 billion after it successfully raised investment from Lightspeed, Baillie Gifford, Sony, and Fidelity.

Most investors put their hope on Unreal Engine as the driving force of the company’s future revenue.

As stated by Epic Games, if it no longer has a developer account, it would have to stop updating Unreal Engine for Mac and iOS.

It also projects that by Spring 2021, Apple may refuse to accept updates to existing apps and new apps that run on Epic’s technologies because the game company no longer has access to developer tools.

When this happens, software makers will be forced to look for alternative tools if they want to target Apple’s devices.

While Unreal Engine is more popular for PCs and consoles, Unity is what developers prefer when it comes to mobile games.

According to Michael Pachter, Wedbush’s analyst, there are some mobile games that run on Unreal but their number is small.

On Monday, Apple also made it point clear that it wanted Epic apps on App Store but the company wouldn’t make an exception.

Apple said that if Epic Games revert the updates that have violating App Store’s policies, which apply for everyone, all the trouble it was having would be remedied.

>>> Epic Games Declared War Against Apple After Fortnite Was Removed From App Store