Apple Restores Epic Games’ Developer Account After Pressure From EU

Apple has reversed its recent decision to block Epic Games from its App Store and devices in Europe.

The move comes after pressure from European regulators, Reuters reported Friday (March 8).

“I take note with satisfaction that following our contacts Apple decided to backtrack its decision on Epic exclusion,” European Commission (EC) Commissioner Thierry Breton said in a Tuesday post on X, formerly Twitter.

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I take note with satisfaction that following our contacts Apple decided to backtrack its decision on Epic exclusion.

From Day 2, #DMA is already showing very concrete results!#FreeFortnite https://t.co/LKbZNd2htb https://t.co/UqMSDgem7m

— Thierry Breton (@ThierryBreton) March 8, 2024

With Apple’s reversal, which comes two days after it said it was blocking the company from getting a developer account, Epic Games can put its own game store on iPhones and iPads in Europe, according to the Reuters report.

Apple said in the report that it has permitted Epic Games to join the developer program after Epic “committed to follow the rules, including our DMA [Digital Markets Act] policies.

Following that decision, Epic Games said it will launch a game store and return its game Fortnite to Apple’s operating system, iOS, in Europe.

“Apple has told us and committed to the European Commission that they will reinstate our developer account,” Epic Games said in a Friday update to its earlier blog post about its latest clash with Apple. “This sends a strong signal to developers that the European Commission will act swiftly to enforce the Digital Markets Act and hold gatekeepers accountable.”

At the same time, Apple said there are still circumstances in which it has the right to exclude third-party app stores from its devices, according to the Reuters report. Plus, Fortnite is not available in Apple’s App Store in the United States.

It was reported Wednesday (March 6) that Apple blocked Epic Games from getting a developer account, saying that it was doing so because of what it said were Epic’s previous violations of contractual obligations and ongoing legal disputes.

Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney said he saw the move as retaliation for Epic’s antitrust actions, lawsuit against Apple and criticisms of Apple’s App Store policies.

On the following day, it was reported that the European Commission “requested further explanations” from Apple about the ban. It did so on the same day that Europe’s landmark DMA went into effect, affecting Apple and a number of other tech giants.