Apple Agrees to Restore Epic Games’ Developer Account Following EU Inquiry
- Laurent Giret
- Mar 08, 2024
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Apple has agreed to reinstate Epic Games’ developer account after terminating it for a second time earlier this week. Apple’s decision to close the company’s developer account, which came right when the EU’s Digital Markets Act forced Apple to authorize alternative app stores on iOS in the EU, was already being scrutinized by the EU Commission. And it looks like the pressure worked.
“Apple has told us and committed to the European Commission that they will reinstate our developer account,” Epic Games said today. “This sends a strong signal to developers that the European Commission will act swiftly to enforce the Digital Markets Act and hold gatekeepers accountable. We are moving forward as planned to launch the Epic Games Store and bring Fortnite back to iOS in Europe.”
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In a separate post on X, Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney described the news as “a big win for European rule of law, for the European Commission, and for the freedom of developers worldwide to speak up.”
The DMA went through its first major challenge with Apple banning Epic Games Sweden from competing with the App Store, and the DMA just had its first major victory. Following a swift inquiry by the European Commission, Apple notified the Commission and Epic that it would relent…
— Tim Sweeney (@TimSweeneyEpic) March 8, 2024
Sweeney indeed harshly criticized Apple’s iOS and App Store changes in the EU to comply with the DMA, going as far as calling them “hot garbage” and “a devious new instance of malicious compliance.”
It’s quite surprising to see Apple reverse its decision to terminate Epic Games’ developer account so quickly. However, the company probably didn’t want to risk financial penalties for breaking the new EU competition rules and getting more bad PR. Earlier this week, the EU Commission had already fined Apple €1.8 billion for abusing its position in music streaming on iOS.
Epic Games now resuming work on bringing its Epic Games Store to iOS later this year may well encourage other companies to explore this more direct way of reaching iOS users in the EU. However, iOS will remain a walled garden in the rest of the world.