Epic Games has announced that Fortnite will return to iOS in Europe in 2024 via the Epic Games Store, which is wild because of the Apple v. Epic drama from last year.
Epic doesn’t have a timeline about when the Epic Games Store or Fortnite will be coming to Apple devices yet. All that we know so far is that these two apps will only be available for iOS in countries covered by the European Union’s Digital Marketing Act.
Fortnite will return to iOS in Europe in 2024, distributed by the upcoming @EpicGames Store for iOS. Stay tuned for details as we figure out the regulatory timeline. We’ll continue to argue to the courts and regulators that Apple is breaking the law. https://t.co/MHh6EGVinC
— Epic Games Newsroom (@EpicNewsroom) January 25, 2024
“Stay tuned for details as we figure out the regulatory timeline. We’ll continue to argue to the courts and regulators that Apple is breaking the law,” reads the official tweet from the Epic Games Newsroom.
Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney also posted a lengthy, disapproving tweet about Apple’s business practices. “Apple’s plan to thwart Europe’s new Digital Markets Act law is a devious new instance of Malicious Compliance,” says Sweeney. “They are forcing developers to choose between App Store exclusivity and the store terms, which will be illegal under DMA, or accept a new also-illegal anticompetitive scheme rife with new Junk Fees on downloads and new Apple taxes on payments they don’t process.”
Apple’s plan to thwart Europe’s new Digital Markets Act law is a devious new instance of Malicious Compliance.
They are forcing developers to choose between App Store exclusivity and the store terms, which will be illegal under DMA, or accept a new also-illegal anticompetitive…
— Tim Sweeney (@TimSweeneyEpic) January 25, 2024
He argues that Apple’s freedom to control what goes on the App Store gives it the power to prevent other digital storefronts from competing with it. This is especially relevant with Epic’s ambitions to launch the Epic Games Store on mobile.
As per Sweeney, “There’s a lot more hot garbage in Apple’s announcement. It will take more time to parse both the written and unwritten parts of this new horror show, so stay tuned.”
