Epic Games claims that Apple has terminated its developer account, preventing the Epic Games Store and Fortnite from coming to iOS
Another hurdle for Epic
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FortnitedeveloperEpic Gamessays thatApplehas terminated its Epic Games Sweden AB’s developer account, which was intended to release the Epic Games Store andFortniteon iOS devices in the European Union (EU).
The news follows provisions in the EU’s recentDigital Markets Act(DMA), which requires Apple to allow users to install apps from third-party app stores in addition to alternate internet browsers on their iPhones.
In a recent post on theofficial Epic Games blog, Epic Games argues that Apple’s actions are “a serious violation of the DMA” that “shows Apple has no intention of allowing true competition on iOS devices.”
The post provides some information about the potential reasons why Apple has made the alleged move, including as an act of retaliation fora Twitter / X postin which Epic Games founder and CEO Tim Sweeney criticizes Apple’s practices. Epic Games also suggests that Apple may have terminated the account after perceiving the Epic Games Store as a threat to its ecosystem.
The post then goes on to share what appears to be email correspondence between Epic Games and Apple representatives. In one email, an Apple representative directly cites Sweeney’s post and expresses a concern that Epic Games would fail to “adhere to its contractual commitments” and use the account as “a vehicle to manipulate proceedings in other jurisdictions” as reasons for the account termination.
This comes as part of an ongoing feud between Apple and Epic Games, which began whenFortnitesuddenly vanishedfrom the App Store. A statement from Apple revealed that the game was removed for “violating App Store guidelines” which prohibited the game from offering direct payments for its virtual currency, V-bucks.
This led to an antitrust lawsuit against Apple by Epic Games in August 2020, that was resolved in September 2021 with a ruling in favor of Apple on almost all counts. While the legal dust has now largely settled, it’s clear that the dispute between the two companies is far from over.
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For more on Epic Games, see all of ourFortnite coverageor read ourLego Fortnite review.
Dash is a technology journalist who covers gaming hardware at TechRadar. Before joining the TechRadar team, he was writing gaming articles for some of the UK’s biggest magazines including PLAY, Edge, PC Gamer, and SFX. Now, when he’s not getting his greasy little mitts on the newest hardware or gaming gadget, he can be found listening to J-pop or feverishly devouring the latest Nintendo Switch otome.
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