Under the scrutiny of European regulators, Apple relented in its standoff with Epic Games on Friday, allowing Epic to establish its own game store on iPhones and iPads across Europe.
Previously, Apple had moved to obstruct Epic from launching a store and reintroducing the widely-played game Fortnite.
The game had been removed from the App Store by Apple in 2020 following Epic’s violation of the tech giant’s in-app payment policies as a form of protest.
Apple’s move to embrace Epic comes on the heels of the European Union’s ultimatum for major tech firms to adhere to the Digital Markets Act (DMA) by Thursday.
The DMA prohibits Apple and Google from dictating app distribution on devices running iOS and Android operating systems.
Thierry Breton, the EU’s industry chief, disclosed that regulators had cautioned Apple about its decision earlier in the week to impede Epic’s potential reentry.
“I take note with satisfaction that following our contacts Apple decided to backtrack its decision on Epic exclusion. From Day 2, #DMA is already showing very concrete results!” Breton said on the X social media platform.
Since 2020, Epic and Apple have been embroiled in a legal dispute, initiated by Epic’s allegations that Apple’s practice of imposing commissions of up to 30 percent on in-app payments violated U.S. antitrust regulations.
Despite Epic’s efforts, it lost the court battle against Apple, leading to its banishment from Apple’s devices after intentionally contravening Apple’s regulations as a form of protest.
While Epic achieved a victory on Friday, it falls short of its complete objectives regarding Apple. Epic’s CEO, Tim Sweeney, has criticized Apple’s approach to complying with the DMA, particularly Apple’s retention of the right to exclude third-party app marketplaces from its devices under specific circumstances. Additionally, Fortnite remains unavailable in the U.S. App Store.
Concurrently, Apple faces challenges in its App Store business model while informing investors of lower-than-anticipated iPhone sales for the current quarter, prompting concerns about its financial outlook.
In the latest clash between Apple and Epic, the focus shifted to Apple’s developer accounts, typically a routine administrative requirement for developers before distributing apps on Apple devices.
On Friday, Apple restored Epic Games’ developer account, just two days after blocking the company from launching its own online marketplace on iPhones and iPads in Europe.
Epic Games affirmed its intention to proceed with its initiatives to reintroduce the Epic Games Store and Fortnite to iOS users in the continent.
”This sends a strong signal to developers that the European Commission will act swiftly to enforce the Digital Markets Act and hold gatekeepers accountable,” Epic Games added.
Apple earlier this week said it had terminated Epic’s account because the company’s actions made it doubt whether it intended to follow the new rules Apple has set out to comply with the DMA.
“Following conversations with Epic, they have committed to follow the rules, including our DMA policies. As a result, Epic Sweden AB has been permitted to re-sign the developer agreement and accepted into the Apple Developer Program,” Apple said in a statement.
