Apple Approves Epic Games’ Marketplace App in European Region

Apple announced on Friday that it has granted approval for Epic Games’ games marketplace application on iPhones and iPads within the European region. This development comes after the creator of “Fortnite” intensified its dispute with the technology corporation, alleging that Apple was obstructing its attempts to establish a gaming store on its devices.

Apple clarified that the recent disagreement pertains to the Epic Sweden AB Marketplace and is unrelated to the video game developer’s Fortnite application, which has already received approval.

App developers and antitrust regulators have expressed concerns regarding Apple’s stringent control over the iOS app ecosystem.

Prior to Apple’s public statement, Epic communicated that the iPhone manufacturer had on two separate occasions rejected documentation submitted by the video game publisher for the purpose of launching the Epic Games Store. The reasoning behind this rejection was due to similarities between the designs of certain buttons and labels and those utilized by Apple’s App Store.

“We are employing the identical ‘Install’ and ‘In-app purchases’ nomenclature utilized across prominent app stores on various platforms and adhering to conventional standards for buttons in iOS applications,” Epic stated in a series of posts on X.

“Apple’s rejection is arbitrary, obstructive, and in violation of the DMA (Digital Markets Act). We have shared our concerns with the European Commission.

The European Commission, which initiated an inquiry into the validation procedures implemented by Apple for sideloaded apps and alternative app stores last month, refrained from providing any comments.

Epic and Apple have been engaged in a legal dispute since 2020. Epic alleges that Apple’s practice of charging up to 30% commissions on in-app payments on its iPhone Operating System (iOS) devices constitutes a violation of U.S. antitrust regulations.

At the beginning of this year, Apple put forward modifications to its App Store policies to adhere to specific directives of the DMA that became effective in March.

It permitted alternative app stores on iPhones and an opt-out from utilizing the in-app payments system, but established a “core technology fee,” which several developers deemed exploitative.

 

July 06, 2024