Epic Games’ digital crusade against Apple continues. The Fortnite maker now claims that it is still facing resistance to launching its mobile app store in the EU.
UPDATE (July 7): Apple suddenly approved the Epic Games Store iOS app for notarization shortly shortly after a public statement from Epic (below). However, the Fortnite maker noted that “though they have approved our current EGS iOS App for notarization, they are still demanding Epic change the user interface in a future version.”
“Apple has rejected our Epic Games Store notarization submission twice now,” Epic said in a post on X today.
According to this statement, Apple found that the design and position of the “Install” button and the “In-app purchases” label in EGS are “too similar” to those in the App Store.
Epic Games noted that it is following naming and design guidelines for certain elements that are used across other popular iOS apps. “We’re just trying to build a store that mobile users can easily understand, and the disclosure of in-app purchases is a regulatory best practice followed by all stores nowadays,” the message reads.
The company called Apple’s rejection “arbitrary, obstructive, and in violation of the DMA [Digital Markets Act].” It has already shared its concerns with the European Commission, still planning to launch the Epic Games Store on iOS in the EU in the next couple of months.
1/3 Apple has rejected our Epic Games Store notarization submission twice now, claiming the design and position of Epic’s “Install” button is too similar to Apple’s “Get” button and that our “In-app purchases” label is too similar to the App Store’s “In-App Purchases” label.
— Epic Games Newsroom (@EpicNewsroom) July 5, 2024
In March, Apple terminated Epic Games’ developer account, citing breaches of contractual obligations and calling the Fortnite maker “verifiably untrustworthy.” This was a violation of the DMA, which forces so-called “gatekeepers” to welcome third-party app stores and “allow those software applications or software application stores to be accessed by means other than the relevant core platform services of that gatekeeper.” The account was restored following the European Commission’s request.
Last month, EU regulators officially charged Apple with violating the DMA, saying that the App Store rules “prevent app developers from freely steering consumers to alternative channels for offers and content.” If found guilty, Apple faces daily non-compliance fines of up to 5% of its average daily worldwide turnover, or around $50 million.