The move comes amid a heated legal battle between the two companies that began when Epic Games implemented a payment system that would allow it to circumvent Apple’s steep 30 percent app store fees.
Apple responded by quickly ripping the mega-popular “Fortnite” from the App Store.
With Friday’s move, a search for “Epic Games” in the App Store returns no results, meaning that all of the company’s games, including the popular hack-and-slash game “Infinity Blade,” are now impossible. to download on the iPhone and iPad.
However, it saves Epic’s Unreal Engine, a tool used by game developers and filmmakers to create three-dimensional graphics. Earlier this week, a judge barred Apple from restricting access to the Unreal Engine in retaliation for violating Epic’s rules.
“Epic Games and Apple are free to litigate each other, but their dispute shouldn’t wreak havoc on viewers”the judge wrote in the decision.
Representatives for Apple and Epic have not responded to requests for comment.
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