Microsoft joins Epic, Unreal battle with Apple

US tech and gaming giant Microsoft has issued a statement of support for adjective-loving developer Epic in its dispute over billing with gadget behemoth Apple.

Microsoft, which owns one of the major gaming consoles and is a significant developer in its own right, has specifically been triggered by Apple’s threat to stop support for Epic’s Unreal Engine if it doesn’t do what it’s told. Unreal Engine describes itself as ‘the world’s most open and advanced real-time 3D creation tool,’ and is widely used by games developers.

In a legal statement Kevin Gammill, GM of Gaming Developer Experiences for Microsoft, said “Denying Epic access to Apple’s SDK and other development tools will prevent Epic from supporting Unreal Engine on iOS and macOS, and will place Unreal Engine and those game creators that have built, are building, and may build games on it at a substantial disadvantage… Apple’s discontinuation of Epic’s ability to develop and support Unreal Engine for iOS or macOS will harm game creators and gamers.”

Meanwhile Apple, in its response to Epic’s latest legal initiative, has claimed Tim Sweeney – Epic’s CEO – asked for special treatment. Sweeney has responded, claiming Apple’s statement is misleading and his tweets provide some insight into how these corporate disagreements escalate.

It should be stressed that Microsoft doesn’t seem to taking any public position on the merits of the broader dispute. It seems to be objecting to the prospect of collateral damage and thus calling for restraint from Apple. If Apple ignores this request that will increase the impression that it’s prepared to sacrifice the interests of consumers in its insatiable desire for profit.