Epic Games is taking legal action against Google and Apple, after both companies cut the developer from their app stores.

The tech giants were enraged when they discovered Epic’s global hit game Fortnite had bypassed their payment systems to avoid giving them a cut of sales.

Both Apple and Google take a 30 per cent cut of purchases made through their app stores.

Fortnite's most recent update offered players a 20 per cent discount on its in-game currency ‘V-bucks’ if they paid Epic Games directly, rather than using Apple or Google's payment systems.

This broke both the app stores’ rules.

Apple was the first to remove Fortnite from its App Store, which Epic Games appeared to anticipate, leading it to publish court documents almost immediately.

Hours later, Google Play had removed the Fortnite app too.

Epic Games then filed a complaint against Google in a California court, complaining about the compulsory 30 per cent cut the companies take.

In both the Apple and Google court documents, Epic says it is not seeking a compensation payout or more favourable deal for itself, even though retaining its 30 per cent cut would represent just that.

Google has issued a statement saying it is still possible for Android user to access the app.

“The open Android ecosystem lets developers distribute apps through multiple app stores,” Google said.

“For game developers who choose to use the Play Store, we have consistent policies that are fair to developers and keep the store safe for users.

“While Fortnite remains available on Android, we can no longer make it available on Play because it violates our policies.”

Apple issued a statement saying: “Epic has had apps on the App Store for a decade, and have benefited from the App Store ecosystem - including it's tools, testing, and distribution that Apple provides to all developers”.

“Epic agreed to the App Store terms and guidelines freely and we're glad they've built such a successful business on the App Store. The fact that their business interests now lead them to push for a special arrangement does not change the fact that these guidelines create a level playing field for all developers and make the store safe for all users.

“We will make every effort to work with Epic to resolve these violations so they can return Fortnite to the App Store.”