After facing pressure from the European Commission, Apple has decided to reinstate Epic Games’ App Store developer account. This comes just days after Apple announced it would remove the account.
Epic Games confirmed that Apple has made the commitment to both the company and the EC, allowing the Fortnite developer to proceed with bringing the Epic Games Store and Fortnite to iOS in Europe.
“This sends a strong signal to developers that the European Commission will act swiftly to enforce the Digital Markets Act and hold gatekeepers accountable,” Epic stated.
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Apple initially revoked Epic’s access following the company’s decision to implement its own payment options in Fortnite. However, on February 16th, 2024, Epic announced its plans to bring the Epic Games Store to iOS and relaunch Fortnite after securing a developer account again.
Apple had subsequently indicated that it would revoke access once again, citing Epic as “verifiably untrustworthy.” Epic viewed this as a serious violation of the Digital Markets Act and vowed to fight to regain access to iOS.
The European Commission quickly responded to the situation, requesting further details from Apple under the DMA regulations.
European Commissioner Thierry Breton acknowledged the influence of the regulator in Apple’s decision, expressing satisfaction with the outcome.
Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney praised the decision as a significant victory for the EC’s Digital Markets Act, emphasizing the importance of upholding European rule of law and developers’ freedom to advocate for their rights.
