by Apple announced on Wednesday that it will revoke Epic Games’ developer account, which had been terminated, and permit the Fortnite developer to publish iOS applications in Europe. As a consequence, Epic may proceed with its initiatives to establish an Epic Games Store and reinstate Fortnite on the iOS platform in Europe.
Epic declared last month that the Digital Markets Act (DMA) of Europe would enable the return of Fortnite and the Epic Games Store. Recently implemented, the DMA mandates that Apple permit third-party app retailers for the very first time. However, Epic terminated its European developer account earlier this week. This development occurred as Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney publicly criticized Apple’s “bitter grip” in response to the European Commission’s €1.84 billion sanction for anticompetitive practices.
Following the EU’s declaration that it would scrutinize Apple’s decision further, Apple announced that Epic Sweden AB, the company’s European account, could be reinstated.
“As a result of discussions with Epic, they have agreed to abide by the regulations, which include our DMA policies.” “As a consequence, Epic Sweden AB has been granted permission to re-enter the developer agreement and has been accepted into the Apple Developer Program,” an email was received from an Apple spokesperson.
An addendum to Epic’s blog post regarding the dispute was published.
Epic wrote, “This strongly indicates to developers that the European Commission is committed to promptly enforcing the Digital Markets Act and ensuring that gatekeepers are held responsible.” “Our preparations to reintroduce Fortnite to iOS in Europe and launch the Epic Games Store are proceeding as scheduled. Moving forward!
A continuous conflict has emerged between Apple and Epic due to Apple’s stringent control over in-app payments. Sweeney has consistently expressed strong disapproval regarding Apple’s developer fees, which amount to 30% of revenue generated from in-app purchases. However, the new DMA law permits third-party marketplaces such as the Epic Games Store to integrate with iOS, thereby reducing Apple’s sway over applications in Europe.
