Apple has given Epic back the developer account for Fortnite in Europe

AdminFebruary 17, 2024

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Epic Studios has landed a new developer account from Apple! What seems like a formality is not for the creator of Fortnite: four years ago, the Apple company deleted this account, preventing the publisher from updating its game…

Epic Games was stripped of its Apple developer account in late summer 2020, after the studio attempted to integrate its own payment system. Fortnite. For Apple, this rebellion was unbearable: games that sell digital content to be “consumed” directly in the application – such as the famous V-Bucks – must be purchased through the App Store payment system. Because that’s what allows the producer to get his 30% commission…

The cost of disagreement

The story, the starting point of a lengthy legal process in the United States, prevented iPhone and iPad players from playing the game Fortnite : Epic is in fact no longer able to update it Battle Royale. But thanks to the European DMA that opened up the iPhone to alternative app stores as well as third-party payment systems, the publisher wants to make a comeback on iOS!

Read Fortnite is coming back to iOS (in Europe)

But first, Epic needed a proper developer account. As the company announced in its 2023 annual report, it has. The iOS version of the Epic Games Store will be able to see the light of day in Europe, only on iPhone (iPad is unfortunately not affected by DMA). It will be managed by the publisher’s Swedish branch, which oversees three studios and employs more than 60 employees. The store will therefore provide access to Fortnite on iOS in Europe.

So Epic will have to comply with terms announced by Apple to be able to distribute alternative stores on the App Store, including the much-controversial core technology fee. For each download and installation of the alternative store, it must pay Apple €0.50. In the case of the Epic Games Store and Fortnite – which will be offered for free – this “Apple Tax” risks being heavy.

For its part, Microsoft has no intention of launching its own game store on iOS, or even Xbox Cloud Gaming, a game streaming service, due to conditions imposed by Apple.