Epic Games' Application to Open Game Store on iOS Rejected by Apple

TapTechNews July 5th news, Epic Games, the developer of Fortnite, said that Apple has twice rejected its application to open a game store on European iPhones and iPads, marking a further escalation of the intense battle between the two sides over the control of the iOS application ecosystem.

As for why Epic's application was rejected, Apple said that the appearance and location of the Install button in the Epic Games Store are too similar to Apple's official Get button, and the In-App Purchase label is too similar to the In-App Purchase label in the App Store.

In this regard, Epic said, We have used the same Install and In-App Purchase naming convention in many popular application stores on multiple platforms, and followed the standard design of iOS application buttons. We just want to create a store that is easier for users to get started, and disclosing in-app purchase information is the regulatory best practice followed by all stores nowadays.

Epic emphasized: Apple's rejection behavior is arbitrary, obstructive, and violates the EU's Digital Markets Act. In response, Epic has informed the European Commission of these claims.

If there is no further obstruction from Apple, we still plan to launch the Epic Games Store and the iOS version of Fortnite in the EU region in the next few months.

Referring to TapTechNews' previous report, Epic and Apple have been deeply involved in legal disputes since 2020. Epic accused Apple of charging up to 30% commission on the revenue generated from in-app purchases on iOS devices, claiming that this practice violates the US antitrust regulations.

Earlier this year, Apple proposed modifications to the App Store policy for certain directives in the Digital Markets Act that took effect in March this year, and currently, several companies have launched third-party application stores in the EU.