Updated March 8, 2024: Following pressure from the EU, Apple has reopened the Epic Games developer account. Tim Sweeney, CEO of the production company behind Fortnite in particular, welcomes the EU’s quick reaction and promises to return its flagship game to iOS this year ( source ).
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Updated on March 7, 2024: EU has reacted to this case of blocking Epic Games and is waiting for clarification from Apple (source)
Epic Games has just announced in a press release that it has once again lost access to developer accounts. Apple may have intentionally blocked Tim Sweeney’s company to prevent it from returning to the iPhone in Europe. As a reminder, the two companies have been at odds since Rebellion 2020 and Epic Games (via its mobile game Fortnite).
Since then, the first legal battle has taken place, but the battle is still not over. However, things seem to be improving, with Apple giving Epic Games access to its developer accounts on iOS a few weeks ago. But now the apple brand has just reversed.
In a series of emails made public by Epic Games, Apple considers the company “untrustworthy”. and decided to remove its access. Apple explains that the decision fully respects the terms of the agreement between the two companies. Epic Games, for its part, is preparing for its defense and is already considering launching Fortnite on the iPhone through a third-party app platform.
Epic Games on iPhone: Project is beautiful
The arrival of DMA in Europe should be a real salvation for Epic Games. After a four-year legal battle against Apple, Tim Sweeney’s company finally thought it had a free hand to launch its own app download platform, the Epic Games Store.
But in an email exchange between Tim Sweeney and Phil Schiller, Apple’s vice president of marketing, the latter asked Sweeney “Written Assurances” Good behavior to come from Epic Games. Despite a lukewarm response from Sweeney, he assured that Epic Games would “Act in good faith and comply with Apple’s current and future terms,” Apple’s lawyers informed the company that its developer account had been suspended.
For now, Epic Games doesn’t seem to have found the words to change Apple’s mind, and Fortnite’s return to iPhone is more than a compromise. In its press release, Epic Games confirms that this new blocking by Apple is not real That’s one more “breach”. For the Apple brand.
By: Keleops AG