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Apple and Google boot "Fortnite" from app stores

Gamers eager to play the mobile version of "Fortnite" won't be able to get it from major app stores -- at least for now.

The game's maker is locked in a feud with both Apple and Google.

Apple kicked the game off its App Store on Thursday (August 13), and Google followed suit by pulling it from its Play Store shortly after.

And now -- Epic Games, the maker of "Fortnite," is taking both companies to court over its removal from their platforms.

The fight over Fortnite stems from Epic Games rolling out a direct payment feature hours earlier; it lets players buy V-Bucks, "Fortnite's" real-money currency, directly from Epic -- which tip-toes around Apple and Google's own payment systems.

In Apple's case, it also bypasses a fee of up to 30%.

The two companies say it all violates their guidelines and gave Fortnite the boot.

Epic's lawsuit challenges their rules -- in targeting Apple, it wrote that quote "Apple has become what it once railed against: the behemoth seeking to control markets, block competition, and stifle innovation."

On social media, Epic rallied supporters for its cause with the hashtag #FreeFortnite -- in a video parodying Apple's famous "1984" television ad.

Apple said in a statement that its in-app payment guidelines quote "create a level playing field for all developers and make the store safe for all users."

Analysts believe games are the biggest contributor to spending inside the App Store, the largest component of Apple's services segment, which brought in over $46 billion last year.

Apple and Google were among the major American technology companies to come under anti-competition scrutiny in a hearing with U.S. lawmakers last month.

A Google spokesman declined to comment when asked by Reuters about Epic's lawsuit.