‘Fortnite’ One Step Closer To European iOS Return As Apple Approves Epic Games Store App
After years of swapping legal blows, Apple has finally approved Fortnite maker Epic Games’ request to establish their own digital app store in the iOS ecosystem.
Of course, it wouldn’t be a story about the Apple-Epic legal battle without at least one regulatory roadblock immediately prior to the app’s final approval, now would it?
On July 5th, Epic Games revealed to the public that Apple had rejected its application to launch the Epic Games Store twice. The reason given was that the design of certain buttons and labels was too similar to those used by Apple’s App Store.
In a series of posts on X, Epic expressed its frustration in a series of Tweets, writing “We are using the same ‘Install’ and ‘In-app purchases’ naming conventions that are used across popular app stores on multiple platforms, and are following standard conventions for buttons in iOS apps.”
“Apple’s rejection is arbitrary, obstructive, and in violation of the DMA (Digital Markets Act), and we’ve shared our concerns with the European Commission,” the developer added.
For those who don’t know, the dispute is part of a broader conflict that began back in 2020 when Epic Games accused Apple of violating U.S. antitrust rules by charging up to 30% commissions on in-app payments made through iOS devices. The case has drawn significant attention to both Apple and Google for how they manage their app stores, with Google settling a multimillion-dollar lawsuit last year.
In an attempt to save itself from a similar fate in court, earlier this year, Apple proposed changes to its App Store policies to align with the DMA, which came into force in March. These changes included allowing alternative app stores on iPhones and an opt-out option for using Apple’s in-app payment system. Yet, when Apple introduced a “core technology fee” many developers, including Epic, found it exploitative.
In June, EU antitrust regulators criticized Apple’s revised terms, stating that they did not meet the standards set by the DMA. As a result, another investigation was launched into Apple’s new contract requirements for app developers and stores, which seemed to have caught the company off guard.
However, just hours after their initial rejection, Apple decided to reverse course and approve the Epic Game Store App.
In light of the announcement, Epic Games Founder and CEO Tim Sweeney took to X to rejoice, “The Epic Games Store app for iOS has now been un-rejected by Apple and development is back on track. Now about those 9 to 16 day TestFlight app approval delays…”
That all said, at current, Fortnite is not yet actually available for iOS users, nor has it received any confirmed re-release date.
However, given the game’s importance to Epic Games’ portfolio, it’s likely that it will be the first to be made available through their upcoming App Store.
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