Epic Games Reportedly Planning Online Stores for iOS, Android Users

Epic Games is planning to roll out mobile online stores for iPhone and Android users later this year.

The company, which produces games like Fortnite, plans to take a 12% commission for its sales on these platforms, according to a Wednesday (March 20) report from Bloomberg, citing company officials who spoke at a developer conference. Apple and Google charge a 30% commission on their respective app stores.

Epic Games has been locked in lawsuits with Apple over the tech giant’s App Store practices.

The dispute began in 2020, stemming from a disagreement about Apple’s 30% commission fees, leading to a lawsuit from Epic.

Earlier this month, Apple blocked the game developer from setting up a developer account, effectively blocking Epic Games from its App Store, citing what it said were Epic’s past violations of contractual obligations and ongoing legal disputes, PYMNTS reported.

Two days later, Apple rescinded the decision amid pressure from EU regulators and the implementation of the Digital Markets Act (DMA), an antitrust law that aims to foster competition by allowing third-party app stores.

The DMA is reshaping how Big Tech firms operate in the EU.

European Union antitrust chief Margrethe Vestager has warned both Meta and Apple about their product pricing structures, which prompted Meta to offer to almost halve its current subscription fees for Instagram and Facebook.

Meanwhile, Apple has repeatedly said it is in compliance with the DMA, pushing back against criticisms that it has not done enough to follow the act’s requirements.

The DMA came into effect March 7 and places new restrictions on six tech giants: Amazon, Apple, ByteDance, Google, Meta and Microsoft, which the EU has designated as “gatekeepers.”

The gatekeeper designation applies to firms with over 45 million monthly active users and $81 billion in market capitalization. Under the DMA, these companies are required to meet strict policies intended to reduce anticompetitive behavior.