Epic Games slams Apple for ‘obstacles’ in launching game store in Europe [UPDATE]

Updated July 5, 1:50 PM PT: Apple told IGN that it has now approved the Epic Sweden AB Marketplace app, and has asked Epic to fix the similarity issue in a future release. Epic Games confirmed this with an update on its X/Twitter account, which you can see below.

Update: Apple has informed us that our previously denied Epic Games Store verification request has now been accepted. https://t.co/tl5LY1aQD6

— Epic Games Newsroom (@EpicNewsroom) July 5, 2024

The previous story is as follows:

Fortnite developer Epic Games said in a statement Tuesday that it has referred Apple to the European Commission over its refusal to bring its game store to the European Union. X/Twitter Friday.

In an X/Twitter thread, which you can read below, Epic says Apple has twice rejected its Game Store certification application. Epic says Apple’s reasoning is the similarity between the “Install” and “In-App Purchase” buttons on the Epic Game Store and Apple’s “Get” and “In-App Purchase” tags.

Apple has rejected our Epic Games Store authentication request twice now, claiming that the design and location of Epic’s “Install” button is too similar to Apple’s “Get” button and that our “In-App Purchases” label is too similar to the App Store’s “In-App Purchases” label.

— Epic Games Newsroom (@EpicNewsroom) July 5, 2024

3/3 Apple’s denial is arbitrary, obstructive and in violation of the DMA, and we have shared our concerns with the European Commission. Absent further obstacles from Apple, we remain ready to launch the game on the Epic Games Store and Fortnite on iOS in the EU within the next two years…

— Epic Games Newsroom (@EpicNewsroom) July 5, 2024

However, Epic claims that “Apple’s denial is arbitrary, obstructive, and violates the Digital Markets Act,” and that it follows standard agreements to make the Epic Game Store easy for users to understand.

“Barring further obstacles from Apple, we remain ready to launch the game on the Epic Games Store and Fortnite on iOS in the EU in the next couple of months,” Epic added.

Epic previously announced that it would be bringing its digital store and Fortnite back to iOS in Europe earlier this year. This is largely due to the European Union’s Digital Markets Act and the resulting changes to Apple’s policies that allowed third-party companies to launch their own storefronts on the App Store.

Today’s statement is the latest in an ongoing regulatory dispute between Apple and Epic, with Epic taking a 30% cut it takes from in-app purchases. That led to a wide-ranging antitrust trial in 2021, with the legal battle dragging on for years.

The Epic case could be one of the first to show how Apple and other major companies affected by the DMA are dealing with the regulations. In March, EU regulators opened an investigation into Apple, Google and Meta for failing to comply with DMA policies, and it was revealed in June that Apple would be the first company to face charges over it.

Alex Steadman is a senior news editor at IGN, overseeing entertainment reporting. When she’s not writing or editing, you can find her reading fantasy novels or playing Dungeons & Dragons.