Apple has abruptly reversed its decision to ban Fortnite developer Epic Games from launching its iOS app store in Europe, saying EU officials are investigating the matter. This happened just a day after the announcement.
It is the first major test of Europe's new digital competition rules, which came into force on Thursday, and shows how the Digital Markets Act has affected consumers just a day after it came into force.
In a blog post, Epic announced that Apple's capitulation means Epic can bring "Fortnite" back to the iPhone in Europe. Fortnite has not been available on iOS since 2020 when the two companies went to war over Apple's developer terms.
“Apple has told us and promised the European Commission that it will restore developer accounts,” Epic wrote.
Apple said the decision was made “after discussions with Epic,” which promised to comply with Apple’s new EU guidelines.
“Epic Wednesday AB is eligible to re-sign the Developer Agreement and be accepted into the Apple Developer Program,” Apple said in a statement.
The move comes after the European Commission said it had asked Apple for information about the recent allegations, and also after EU Commission President Thierry Breton said X was an attempt to silence developers. He warned, calling Epic's complaints a "priority issue."
The new EU DMA requires that app stores allow apps to be downloaded from third-party sources. Apple's solution to this rule is a system that allows developers to create entirely new iOS apps that function as self-contained app markets.
In its complaint to the European Commission, Epic accused Apple of not approving its developer account because the company had repeatedly criticized the iPhone manufacturer in the past. Another reason for the account termination is that Epic has already intentionally violated Apple's terms and conditions to condemn Apple's anti-competitive behavior, which Epic alleges.
Those claims appear to be backed up by emails released by Epic on Wednesday, in which Apple executives told Epic that they believed the company was intentionally violating the Apple Store's terms of service. Epic CEO Tim Sweeney reportedly sent a letter to Apple promising to comply, but Apple terminated the developer's account anyway.
In a statement, after the emails were published, Apple publicly justified the move by citing a US court ruling that upheld Apple's right to terminate an Epic account for any reason.
But now it appears that Apple has given in to backlash from EU officials, paving the way for the re-release of Epic and Fortnite for iOS gamers in Europe.
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