Epic Games accuses Apple of holding up launch of its EU games store

Epic Games has claimed Apple is deliberately delaying its efforts to launch its own iOS games store in Europe and has lodged a further antitrust complaint with the European Union.

The Fortnite developer has alleged that Apple is refusing its app because the tech giant believes the Install and In-app Purchases labels and buttons are too similar to those used in its App Store. 

“We are using the same “Install” and “In-app purchases” naming conventions that are used across popular app stores on multiple platforms, and are following standard conventions for buttons in iOS apps,” Epic stated in a three-part post on X, formerly Twitter. 

“Apple’s rejection is arbitrary, obstructive, and in violation of the DMA (Digital Markets Act), and we’ve shared our concerns with the European Commission,” it said.

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

Ongoing dispute between Apple and Epic Games

In response, Apple said it is working with the developer to find a solution to the impasse so that the games store can be made available. 

The European Commission, the legislative body of the EU, declined to comment to Reuters on the issue. 

This isn’t the first time there has been a dispute between the parties, as a legal battle has been ongoing since 2020. Epic, which has been linked to an exclusive release, alleged the iPhone maker’s practice of charging up to 30% commissions on in-app payments on its native iOS devices contravened US antitrust regulations. 

A judge ruled that Apple does not operate a monopoly and does not need to allow third-party app stores in the States, but the company was ordered to allow in-app sales outside of its App Store.

The Cupertino multinational agreed to comply but stated it would still apply a 27% commission charge on sales (12% for small developers), resulting in Epic returning to court to contest Apple’s position. The developer claimed it was an act of bad faith, that went against the spirit of the judge’s ruling. 

In May, the judge intimated she was likely to rule in favor of Epic, due to issues with the action taken by Apple. She has requested full disclosure of all Apple’s internal documents relating to the 27% commission call.

Image credit: Via Ideogram

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