According to Reuters, Apple has finally given the green light to the Epic Games Store for iOS and iPadOS devices in Europe.
For years, Apple and Epic Games have been at each other’s throats. The drama kicked off in 2020 when Apple booted Fortnite from the App Store. Why? Because Epic Games refused to pay Apple’s 30% cut on all in-app purchases, calling the fee unfair. Instead of quietly accepting the ban, Epic took Apple to court, accusing them of running an App Store monopoly and violating antitrust laws.
While this legal showdown is still raging in the U.S., Epic Games just scored a big win in Europe thanks to the EU’s new Digital Markets Act (DMA). This law forces companies like Apple to open up their ecosystems, allowing other app stores and direct downloads. Essentially, Apple can no longer make users download apps only from the App Store.
This change opened the floodgates for Epic Games to bring Fortnite back to iOS and iPadOS in Europe through their own app store, keeping all the profits. But, of course, there was one last hurdle. Epic claimed on social media platform X that Apple kept rejecting their store for trivial reasons, such as the “Install” and “In-app purchases” buttons looking too much like Apple’s.
Finally, after some public shaming, Epic announced that Apple had approved their store. Whether it was the public pressure or just a coincidence, who knows? But one thing is clear: the battle between these two giants is far from over.
