Epic Games Says Apple is Violating the DMA After Rejecting its iOS Game Store Twice

Epic Games is accusing Apple of violating its app store obligations under the EU’s Digital Markets Act. Today, the Fortnite developer said that Apple rejected the iOS version of its Epic Game Store for EU users twice. And according to Epic Games, Apple did so for arbitrary reasons related to design.

“Apple has rejected our Epic Games Store notarization submission twice now, claiming the design and position 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,” the company explained in a series of posts on X. Epic Games dismissed Apple’s reasons for rejecting its Epic Games Store, arguing that it’s “following standard conventions for buttons in iOS apps.”

1/3 Apple has rejected our Epic Games Store notarization submission twice now, claiming the design and position 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

“Apple’s rejection is arbitrary, obstructive, and in violation of the DMA, and we’ve shared our concerns with the European Commission,” Epic Games said today. “Barring further roadblocks from Apple, we remain ready to launch in the Epic Games Store and Fortnite on iOS in the EU in the next couple of months.”

Apple had a quite turbulent relationship with Epic Games in recent years, which culminated with the iPhone maker terminating Epic Games’ developer account twice. The last time it happened was back in March just weeks after Apple re-approved it, and the company ultimately agreed to restore it following an EU inquiry.

To comply with the EU’s DMA, Apple had to allow alternative app stores, browser engines, and payment systems on iOS in the EU. Epic Games os one of the first big companies to announce an alternative app store for iOS users in the EU, which will is also where the company plans to distribute Fortnite after Apple pulled it from the App Store four years ago.

It remains to be seen if Epic Games will manage to launch its Epic Games Store on iOS in the EU before the end of the year, but the fact that the EU Commission is now investigating Apple’s new business terms for iOS apps (https://www.thurrott.com/apple/304507/eu-commission-says-apple-is-breaking-dma-rules) may force the company to become more cooperative.