Fortnite developer Epic Games says that Apple has terminated its Epic Games Sweden AB’s developer account, which was intended to release the Epic Games Store and Fortnite on iOS devices in the European Union (EU).
The news follows provisions in the EU’s recent Digital 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 the official 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 for a Twitter / X post in 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 when Fortnite suddenly vanished from 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.
For more on Epic Games, see all of our Fortnite coverage or read our Lego Fortnite review.
