Apple Inc AAPL has reversed its decision to ban Epic Games, the developer of “Fortnite,” from launching its own app store on iOS in Europe, following pressure from European Union (EU) officials.
“Apple has told us and committed to the European Commission that they will reinstate our developer account,” the video game company announced in a March 8 blog post. “This sends a strong signal to developers that the European Commission will act swiftly to enforce the Digital Markets Act and hold gatekeepers accountable.”
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The post added: “We are moving forward as planned to launch the Epic Games Store and bring Fortnite back to iOS in Europe.”
This decision marks the first major test of Europe’s new digital competition rules, known as the Digital Markets Act (DMA), which came into effect recently.
Epic will now be able to bring “Fortnite” back to iPhones in Europe as Apple has agreed to reinstate their developer account.
According to CNN, this move follows the European Commission’s request for information from Apple regarding the recent allegations and a warning from a top EU commissioner, Thierry Breton, who said “there is no room for threats by gatekeepers to silence developers,” and identified Epic’s complaint as a matter of “priority.”
The DMA requires app stores to allow downloads from third-party sources, and Apple’s response to this rule involves a system allowing developers to create self-contained app marketplaces. Epic had accused Apple of revoking their developer account due to past criticism and deliberate violations of Apple’s terms to highlight anticompetitive behavior.
Emails published by Epic seemed to support these claims, revealing Apple’s expectation of further breaches despite Epic’s assurance of compliance. Apple initially justified its actions by citing U.S. court rulings but has now relented in response to EU pressure.
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