(Credit: Epic Games)
UPDATE 3/8: Facing pressure from European regulators, Apple restored Epic Games’ iOS developer account. Apple says it secured a commitment from the Fortnite developer to follow its rules in the EU. But Epic Games credits the reversal to the European Commission.
Original Story:Epic Games started 2024 by announcing that it would bring its Epic Games Store and Fortnite back to iOS. But both of those initiatives may be in trouble because Apple just banned the Epic Games Sweden AB developer account from the App Store.
The EU's Digital Markets Act (DMA) requires Apple to allow third-party iOS app stores in the EU, and Apple approved Epic's developer account last month following a lengthy antitrust feud over the rules for the iOS App Store.
At the time, Epic Games called it a "good faith move by Apple amidst our cataclysmic antitrust battle," but in a Wednesday blog post, Epic says Apple "terminated that account and now we cannot develop the Epic Games Store for iOS."
The post includes an email from Apple's lawyers that says Epic Games "denigrated Apple's developer terms, including the Developer Program License Agreement (DPLA)" and cites litigation in Australia as evidence that "Epic Games Sweden AB is part of a global effort to undermine or evade Apple's rules."
Apple also cites the tweet below from Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney as an example of attacks that Epic Games made against "Apple's policies, compliance plan, and business model." In short, Apple doesn't trust Epic will keep its promise regarding app store compliance.
Epic argues that it and its subsidiaries "are acting in good faith and will comply with all terms of current and future agreements with Apple." In the blog post, Epic says Apple has to allow Epic to distribute its Epic Games Store under the DMA and calls the ban "entirely unjustified."
Epic points to the myriad games developed by its subsidiaries that haven't broken any App Store rules, including Rocket League Sideswipe, RealityScan, Live Link Face, and Unreal Remote 2. It also cites contracts for Horizon Chase 2 and Wonderbox, two Apple Arcade exclusives developed with Unreal Engine by Epic Games as evidence that Epic knows how to play ball.
Sweeney addressed this week's ban on X, tweeting that "Criticism of Apple = untrustworthiness, in Apple leadership's bleak vision of their future relationship with app developers."