Update: Apple unlocks the developer account of Epic Games

We recently reported on the blocking of Epic Games’ developer account with Apple. However, it has since been unblocked again,

Apple is on a direct confrontation course against Epic Games

A brief summary: Apple has blocked Epic Games’ Swedish developer account on their platform, which was supposed to bring the Epic Game Store to IOS devices. The reason for this is that the company is not trustworthy for Apple and a tweet from Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney showed that they would not abide by the rules and therefore classified it as a direct attack on Apple.

Epic Games then made serious accusations against Apple and claimed that Apple competitors or developers who criticize or want to compete with the company are blocked by Apple. As a result, the EU antitrust authorities got wind of this and acted immediately. The reason for this is the Digital Markets Act (DMA for short), which prohibits store monopolies and forces other stores to be downloaded and used. This is intended to create fair competition and provide better opportunities for competitors in this market.

Epic Games may now return to IOS devices after all, the company reports on its news blog. In doing so, Apple has committed itself to the European antitrust authorities via the Digital Markets Act and is enabling Epic Games for IOS devices again. For Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney, this is a significant victory. First and foremost for the company, but also for the European rule of law, as he put it.

The DMA went through its first major challenge with Apple banning Epic Games Sweden from competing with the App Store, and the DMA just had its first major victory. Following a swift inquiry by the European Commission, Apple notified the Commission and Epic that it would relent…

— Tim Sweeney (@TimSweeneyEpic) March 8, 2024

This clears the way for Epic Games to bring its own store to IOS devices and also bring back the popular game Fortnite after more than 3 years. There is currently no exact date for when the whole thing will start again.

Source: Epic Games