“We have requested further explanations on this from Apple under the DMA (Digital Markets Act),” a European Commission spokesperson said in an email (via Reuters).
What the spokesperson means by “further explanations on this” is, of course, the fact that Apple barred Epic Games from launching its own online marketplace on iPhones and iPads in Europe. The EU officials want to investigate whether this breaches EU technology rules.
Back in 2020, Apple shut Epic’s developer account in the U.S. and other markets after the company distributed its Fortnite game in the App Store with a link to Epic’s own in-app payment platform. In doing so, Fortnite escaped the Apple Tax (the 15%-30% commission that Apple gets for processing in-app payments using its own platform), and thus, Epic’s actions violated App Store regulations.
Then came the lawsuit, and Apple had to make it easier for developers to link customers with third-party in-app payment platforms. However, Epic was not allowed to force Apple to install the Epic App Store on the iPhone. Apple held out an olive branch to Epic by giving the company a developer account in the EU thanks to the changes being made by the DMA (Digital Markets Act).
This EU account was shut by Apple, citing Epic’s past breaches of contract in the long-running legal dispute. Epic says that Apple is doing this simply to enact some revenge against it for making comments criticizing Apple.
