When Epic first sued Apple and Google, there was an argument that the maker of Fortnite was merely trying to strong-arm these platform owners into lowering their fees and/or allow third party payment processors. Last week’s judgement gives Epic just that from Apple. From Will Oremus, at The Washington Post:

Then there’s the one aspect of the case which Apple clearly lost. Apple having to allow apps to point users to other payment methods might seem like a relatively small concession. But if Epic and the judge are correct that Apple used its “anti-steering” rules to prop up a 30 percent fee that would otherwise be untenable, then the fee itself would come under heavy pressure, assuming the injunction takes effect. Apple might ultimately find that it has to lower its fee to prevent developers from circumventing it entirely.

The case’s ultimate outcome remains uncertain; Epic has already said it will appeal, and Apple could do the same.

The fact that Epic has already appealed affirms my belief from the beginning that this lawsuit was about forcing platform owners into allowing third party app stores. Here’s what I wrote in August of last year:

Epic isn’t merely trying to force app stores into lowering their fees or allowing third party payment processors, they are trying to force Apple and Google into allowing their own games store.

Even getting the Epic Games Store on iOS and Android isn’t really about money as much as it is about control. What I mean here by “control” is not control over Apple and/or Google, but control over the wider video game market.

These lawsuits from Epic didn’t happen in a vacuum. They came in the midst of a very aggressive and enormously expensive campaign to undercut the competition while overpaying for exclusives. They came right after Epic secured a multimillion dollar investment from Sony.

It’s very clear to me that Epic is doing whatever it takes to become the Amazon of software, and that can’t happen in world where closed platforms exist.