Update July 5, 1:50 p.m. PST: Apple told IGN that it had approved the Epic Sweden AB Marketplace app and asked Epic to fix the appearance similarity issue in a future submission. Epic Games confirmed this with an update on its X/Twitter account, which you can see below.
Update: Apple has informed us that our previously rejected Epic Games Store notarization request has now been approved. https://t.co/tl5LY1aQD6
— Epic Games Newsroom (@EpicNewsroom) July 5, 2024
The previous story goes like this:
Fortnite creator Epic Games has referred Apple to the European Commission over its refusal to bring its games store to the EU, Epic said in a statement X/Twitter on Friday.
In the X/Twitter thread, which you can read below, Epic claims that Apple has twice rejected its game store notarization request. The reason given by Apple, Epic claims, is the similarities between the Epic Game Store’s “Install” and “In-app purchases” buttons and Apple’s “Get” and “In-app purchases” labels.
1/3 Apple has already rejected our Epic Games Store notarization application twice, saying that the design and positioning of the “Install” button on the Epic Store is too similar to the “Download” button on the Apple Store, and our “In-App Purchases” label is too similar to the “In-App Purchases” label on the App Store.
— Epic Games Newsroom (@EpicNewsroom) July 5, 2024
3/3 Apple’s rejection is arbitrary, obstructive and violates the DMA, and we have shared our concerns with the European Commission. Unless Apple puts up further obstacles, we remain ready to launch on the Epic Games Store and Fortnite on iOS in the EU within the next few…
— Epic Games Newsroom (@EpicNewsroom) July 5, 2024
However, Epic claims that Apple’s rejection of the offer is “arbitrary, obstructive, and violates the Digital Markets Act (DMA)” and that the company is following standard conventions to ensure that users can easily understand how the Epic Game Store works.
“If Apple doesn’t put any further obstacles in our way, we are ready to launch our game on the Epic Games Store and make it available on iOS in the EU within the next few months,” Epic added.
Epic previously announced it would be bringing its digital store and Fortnite back to iOS in Europe earlier this year, largely due to the EU’s Digital Markets Act and subsequent changes to Apple’s policies that allowed third-party companies to launch their own stores on the App Store.
Today’s announcement is just the latest in an ongoing regulatory dispute between Apple and Epic, in which Epic criticized Apple for taking a 30% cut of in-app purchases. That led to a widely publicized antitrust trial in 2021 and a legal battle that has continued for years.
The Epic case could be one of the first to show how Apple and other major companies affected by the DMA are handling the rules. In March, EU regulators opened an investigation into Apple, Google, and Meta for failing to comply with DMA rules, and in June it was revealed that Apple would be the first company to face criminal charges in connection with it.
Alex Stedman is a senior news editor at IGN, overseeing entertainment coverage. When she’s not writing or editing, you can find her reading fantasy novels or playing Dungeons & Dragons.
