Epic Games blasts Apple for blocking new Euro game store

Epic Games has publicly criticized Apple over repeated rejections of the Epic Games Store's notarization submission, citing similarities in button design as the reason. Epic stated that this obstruction violates the Digital Markets Act (DMA) and has referred the matter to the European Commission. Despite this, Apple has recently approved the Epic Sweden AB Marketplace app, with a request for future appearance adjustments. Epic aims to launch the Epic Games Store and Fortnite on iOS in the EU soon, leveraging changes from the EU's DMA that allow third-party storefronts on the App Store. The ongoing dispute highlights regulatory tensions between Epic and Apple, dating back to a 2021 antitrust trial over Apple's in-app purchase commissions.

The Digital Markets Act (DMA) is a regulation by the European Union aimed at ensuring fair competition in digital markets by preventing large technology companies, known as gatekeepers, from imposing unfair conditions on businesses and consumers. It enables third-party companies to launch their own digital storefronts on platforms like Apple's App Store, thus encouraging competition and innovation.

Fortnite, originally launched in 2017, has been at the center of a significant legal battle between Epic Games and Apple. The game's massive popularity helped fuel the dispute over in-app purchase revenue sharing, which culminated in a landmark antitrust trial. The case has far-reaching implications for app store policies and developers' rights in digital marketplaces.