The European Commission is investigating Apple’s decision on Wednesday to terminate the developer account of Epic Games, reports the Financial Times.
The EC said it has requested “further explanations” from Apple about the decision and said it was investigating under the Digital Markets Act (DMA), a new law aimed at curbing the power of the biggest online platforms. The EC added that it would also be considering whether Apple’s moves might have violated other EU laws.
Apple on Wednesday said it had terminated Epic Games Sweden’s developer account worldwide. Apple said it was due to the game developer’s “egregious breach of its contractual obligations.” Apple said courts had previously granted Apple the authority to end the accounts of any of Epic’s subsidiaries due to contractual infractions.
Epic had previously announced that it intended to use its Swedish developer account to launch an Epic Games Store on iOS in the EU. The developer said it would then use the store to bring the Fortnite app back to the iPhone. As of Tuesday’s release of iOS 17.4, Apple now allows alternative app marketplaces on the iPhone in the European Union, to bring it into compliance with the EU Digital Markets Act.
Epic fired back at Apple with a press release, saying that Apple’s termination of the Swedish developer account is a “serious violation” of the Digital Markets Act, and proves that “Apple has no intention of allowing true competition on iOS devices.”
The company claimed Apple’s action was an attempt to eliminate a major potential rival to the App Store.
Fortnite was removed from the iOS App Store in 2020 due to Epic introducing a direct payment option in the app for the in-game currency V-Bucks, in defiance of the App Store rules. That kicked off the Epic Games v. Apple legal feud, and Fortnite has been unavailable in the App Store since then. The game is still available on iPhones and iPads, via Xbox Cloud Gaming and GeForce NOW through the Safari browser.
Epic is continuing its legal battle with Apple in both Australia and the United States, so the legal battles between Apple and Epic Games will continue in the foreseeable future.