Apple lifts ban on Epic Games App Store in Europe

• Epic Games will be allowed to have its own app store on iOS in Europe.
• Apple reversed its decision not to allow the Epic Games Store following the passage of the Digital Markets Act in the EU.
• Fortnite developer Epic has been in a long-standing battle with Apple and Google over in-app purchases.

Apple is backtracking after Epic Games said it would not allow it to have its own app store on iOS in Europe.

According to CNN, Apple decided to reverse its decision after European Union officials said they would investigate the ban.

Fortnite developer Epic Games has battled with Google and Apple in recent years to avoid control of in-app purchases on its platforms. Google and Apple removed Fortnite from their online stores in 2020 after Epic created a way to purchase in-game currency that didn’t use the in-app purchase system.

Epic said in a blog post that following this decision, Fortnite will be available again on iOS.

“This sends a strong signal to developers that the European Commission will act quickly to enforce digital market law and hold gatekeepers to account,” the company said.

On Thursday, the Digital Markets Act was officially passed in the European Union. The law aims to curb competition from Big Tech companies. This law requires app store developers to allow apps to be downloaded and purchased from third-party vendors.

Epic said in a previous blog post that it has deleted the “Epic Games Sweden AB” account that Apple planned to use to bring the Epic Games Store to iOS.

“This is a serious violation of DMA and shows that Apple has no intention of allowing true competition on its iOS devices,” the company said.

Apple told CNN that it reinstated the accounts after talking with Epic and Epic agreeing to new EU-focused policies.

Epic’s lawsuit against Google was heard in San Francisco federal court in November 2023 over the Google Play Store’s digital payment processing system.

The jury sided with Epic, agreeing that Google maintains an illegal monopoly on the Google Play Store. Google plans to appeal the case, but if a higher court upholds the ruling, Epic plans to build its own app store and run its own billing system on Android, BI previously reported.

Epic lost a similar lawsuit against Apple in 2021. Although a federal judge sided with Apple on most points in the case, the judge ruled that Apple should be allowed to provide links to other payment options in its apps.