Fortnite maker Epic Games has accused Apple of blocking its efforts to set up its own app store for iPhone and iPad users in Europe.
Epic said Apple had twice blocked the filing of plans for an Epic Games Store, which would allow users in Europe for the first time to download apps outside of Apple’s own App Store to their Apple devices.
In a statement released to X, Epic accused Apple of rejecting the game maker’s proposals twice because the design was “too similar” to Apple’s App Store.
Epic said Apple’s actions violated the EU’s new Digital Markets Act (DMA) – a comprehensive set of rules designed to prevent big tech companies from monopolizing digital markets. The law requires Apple to allow its customers in Europe to download iPhone apps from stores not operated by the US tech giant – a move the company has long opposed.
“Apple has now twice rejected our request for notarization for the Epic Games Store, arguing that the design and location of Epic’s ‘Install’ button was too similar to Apple’s ‘Get’ button and that our ‘In-App Purchases’ label was too similar to the App Store’s ‘In-App Purchases’ label,” the company said.
“We use the same naming conventions for ‘Install’ and ‘In-App Purchases’ used in all major app stores across multiple platforms, and follow standard button conventions in iOS apps.
“We’re just trying to build a store that mobile users can easily understand, and disclosing in-app purchases is a regulatory best practice that all stores follow these days.”
This is a new escalation in a long-running, contentious battle between the two companies. Epic has been fighting for years for Apple’s sole control over the distribution of iPhone apps.
Epic’s best-known game, Fortnite, disappeared from the App Store in 2020 amid a dispute over payments and commissions to developers, and the hugely popular battle royale game is still waiting to return to Apple’s platform.
However, Epic said the company is ready to bring the game back to Apple’s iOS platform in Europe in the coming months.
“Apple’s rejection is arbitrary, obstructive, and a violation of the DMA. We have communicated our concerns to the European Commission,” Epic said in a statement.
“Unless Apple continues to hinder us, we remain ready to launch the Epic Games Store and Fortnite on iOS in the EU in the coming months.”
Apple then stated that it was trying to help Epic Games get its app marketplace approved and up and running and confirmed that the Fortnite app had already been approved.
The iPhone maker said Epic had previously agreed not to make its own app store too similar to the Apple App Store, and that this was the case – with the exception of the design of the download button.
However, Apple believed it was a minor issue that could be easily fixed and expressed hope that Epic’s marketplace could go live once the issue was resolved.
