Apple has made a sudden U-turn on its decision to ban Epic Games, the creator of "Fortnite," from launching its own app store on iOS in Europe. This reversal comes just a day after European Union officials announced an investigation into the matter.
This development marks the first significant test of Europe's new digital competition rules, which came into effect on Thursday. It underscores how the Digital Markets Act may already be influencing consumers, barely a day after its implementation.
Apple's change of heart means that Epic will regain the ability to reintroduce "Fortnite" to iPhones in Europe, as stated in a blog post by Epic. The game has been unavailable on iOS since 2020 due to a dispute between the two companies over Apple's developer terms.
According to Epic, Apple has assured them and committed to the European Commission that they will reinstate their developer account. This action sends a strong message to developers about the European Commission's swift enforcement of the Digital Markets Act and its determination to hold gatekeepers accountable.
In response, Apple stated that it reached this decision after discussions with Epic, during which Epic pledged to comply with Apple's new EU-focused policies.
"Apple has allowed Epic Sweden AB to re-sign the developer agreement and join the Apple Developer Program," Apple said in a statement.
This decision follows the European Commission's request for information from Apple regarding the recent allegations. It also comes after a prominent EU commissioner, Thierry Breton, emphasized the urgency of addressing threats by gatekeepers to silence developers, identifying Epic's complaint as a priority issue.
The new EU DMA mandates that app stores permit app downloads from third-party sources. Apple's solution to this rule is a system enabling developers to create entirely new iOS apps functioning as self-contained app marketplaces.
In its complaint to the European Commission, Epic accused Apple of revoking its developer account approval due to Epic's history of criticizing Apple. Another alleged reason cited was Epic's intentional violation of Apple's terms to expose what it deemed as Apple's anticompetitive behavior.
Emails released by Epic on Wednesday seemed to support these claims, revealing Apple executives' expectations of Epic to deliberately breach Apple's store terms again. Although Epic CEO Tim Sweeney assured Apple of compliance, Apple still revoked the developer account.
Following the publication of the emails, Apple defended its actions by citing US court rulings affirming its right to terminate Epic's accounts for any reason. Now, however, Apple appears to have yielded to pressure from EU officials, clearing the path for Epic and "Fortnite" to return to iOS devices in Europe.
