Will come back, won’t come back? The return of the ultra-popular game Fortnite on iPhones is the subject of a perpetual dispute between Epic Games and Apple, which has just opened a new front in the battle.
Tim Cook is definitely playful. The same day the DMA came into force, which forces Apple to open the doors of its software ecosystem more widely to competition, the company revoked the developer account of Epic, the studio behind Fortnite. A not so trivial act when we know that the company’s CEO, Tim Sweeney, has been one of the most vocal critics of Apple’s software policies in recent years.
Epic calls out abuse of power
Concretely, while the studio wanted, as the DMA authorizes, to offer its game store on iPhone and iPad, Apple prevented it by removing from the company the certification essential for publishing applications on iOS. In any case, this is what Epic says in an angry blog post published on March 6, 2024. According to Apple’s new, highly criticized rules, the iPhone manufacturer’s approval is required to offer a store alternative application on iPhone and iPad. Without the company’s approval, Epic cannot do anything.
For the studio behind Fortnite, this final act of provocation is “ a very serious violation of the DMA and proof that Apple has no intention of letting competition take hold on iOS “. Two paragraphs later, the tone becomes even more violent, explaining that “Apple is eliminating one of the App Store’s biggest potential competitors. They undermine our ability to be a viable competitor and show other developers what happens when you try to compete with Apple or criticize its unfair practices.” Atmosphere.
Apple considers itself in the right
For its part, Apple defends itself by explaining that it acted with good rights. In a press release published by 9to5Mac, the company explains that “the flagrant violation of Epic’s contractual obligations has proven in the eyes of justice that Apple has the right to terminate the contract which binds it to part or all of the subsidiaries of Epic Games […] at any time and without having to justify yourself. In view of Epic’s past and present behavior, Apple has decided to exercise this right» points out the company, relying on the legal decision of the Supreme Court of the United States which ended the 1st round between Apple and Epic.
This new open front between the two digital giants has relaunched the war that we thought was over with the entry into force of the DMA, which forces Apple to welcome competitors to the App Store on its platform. But according to emails revealed by Epic, “Epic’s harsh criticism of Apple’s DMA compliance and past behavior […] suggest that the company has no desire to obey the rules» from Apple, which therefore authorizes the iPhone manufacturer to cut off Epic’s access to its platform. Apple even going so far as to describe the studio “untrustworthy“.
In other words, Apple considers that Epic is not playing fair by continually criticizing the company’s rules and has therefore decided to no longer let it play. Not sure that the European Commission sees this very favorably.
Source : Epic Games, 9to5Mac
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