#Apple made at least $100 million off Fortnite fees: trial

Apple made at least $100 million — and possibly much more — off commissions from “Fortnite” during the two-and-a-half years the game was available on the App Store, an Apple executive revealed during an ongoing antitrust trial.

Michael Schmid, an Apple executive who oversees business development for games on the App Store, revealed the figure under questioning Wednesday, Bloomberg reported (paywall). When asked if Apple made more than $200 million from “Fortnite”-related fees, Schmid said answering that question would be “inappropriate.”  

Last year, Apple booted Epic Games from the App Store after Epic introduced its own system for in-app payments, circumventing Apple’s requirement that some developers use its own payment system, which charges commissions of up to 30 percent. 

Cut off from a lucrative audience of iPhone and iPad users, Epic sued Apple in a Northern California federal court, alleging that Apple’s policies constituted an illegal monopoly. 

Commissions from the App Store brought in $22 billion for Apple in 2020 alone, according to Bloomberg. If Epic’s suit is successful, Apple could lose a key source of revenue.  

Apple head honcho Tim Cook, who is said to be Apple’s final witness in a trial that began May 3, will take the stand Friday morning.