Apple on Friday walked back its feud with Epic Games under pressure from European regulators, clearing the way for Epic Games to launch its own games store on iPhones and iPads in Europe. Earlier this week, Apple took steps to prevent Epic from opening a store and relaunching the popular game Fortnite. Apple removed the game from the App Store in 2020 after Epic violated the iPhone maker’s in-app payment rules in protest.
Apple’s decision to open the door to Epic comes after the European Union set a deadline for big tech companies to comply with the Digital Markets Act (DMA), which bans Apple and Google from controlling iOS and apps distributed on iOS devices. Android operating system.
EU industry chief Thierry Breton said regulators had warned Apple over the iPhone maker’s move to block Epic’s potential return earlier this week.
“I note with satisfaction that, following our contact, Apple decided to reverse its Epic exclusion decision. As of day two, the #DMA is already showing very concrete results!” Brayton said on the X social media platform.
Epic and Apple have been locked in a legal battle since 2020, when the gaming company claimed that Apple violated U.S. antitrust rules by charging commissions of up to 30% on in-app payments on its iOS devices. Epic lost its legal battle with Apple, and the game maker’s tactics of deliberately violating Apple’s rules amid protests resulted in it being banned from Apple devices.
Epic’s win on Friday puts it well short of its expectations for Apple.
Epic CEO Tim Sweeney criticized Apple’s plan to comply with the DMA, under which Apple says it still has the right to exclude third-party app markets from its devices under certain circumstances. Fortnite is still not available in the US App Store.
Apple, for its part, is grappling with the erosion of its App Store business model while also telling investors that iPhone sales this quarter will be billions of dollars lower than Wall Street forecasts.
The latest dispute between Apple and Epic involves Apple’s developer accounts, which are typically a minor but necessary administrative step before developers can sell apps on Apple devices.
Apple reinstated Epic Games’ developer account on Friday, two days after blocking the company from launching its own online marketplace for iPhones and iPads in Europe.
The game developer said it will continue with plans to bring the Epic Games Store and Fortnite back to iOS in continental Europe.
Epic Games added: “This sends a strong signal to developers that the European Commission will act quickly to enforce the Digital Markets Act and hold gatekeepers accountable.”
Apple said earlier this week that it had terminated Epic’s account because the company’s behavior cast doubt on whether it intended to comply with new rules Apple had instituted to comply with the DMA.
Apple said in a statement: “Following conversations with Epic, they committed to complying with the rules, including our DMA policy. As a result, Epic Scotland AB was allowed to re-sign the Developer Agreement and accept the Apple Developer Program.” .
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