Tech Pro Weighs In On Epic's App Battle With Apple, Government's Response

"Fortnite" maker Epic Games is doing something unusual in its battle against Apple Inc. AAPL and its App Store policies by waging a public battle, The Verge's Casey Newton said on CNBC.

Vocal Battle: Newton said many publishers are afraid of waging any sort of public or vocal battle against Apple out of fear of losing ranking on the App Store. As such, if Epic and Apple were engaged in some sort of behind the scenes negotiations, it would have occurred prior to Epic speaking up against Apple's 30% commission take on app sales.

End Game: Apple wants to give up as little as possible as it faces pressure from a new group called the "Coalition for App Fairness," Newton said. But Apple is backed by its large cash hoard and it has the resources to wage battle for a very long time.

Apple will face a battle against a growing list of foes as more app developers will join the coalition over time.

Government Is Watching: The U.S. government is keeping an eye on the latest developments and "finally taking it seriously," Newton said. At the core of the legal battle is potential antitrust issues.

"For a long time developers were a little scared of speaking to folks like us in the press," he said. "But once the judiciary committee called, they were more than willing to talk about what's been happening."

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