After nearly four years of battle, Epic Games, the company behind the popular game Fortnite, has finally reclaimed its developer account from Apple. The European Commission, which regulates the operations of major digital companies in Europe, intervened to make this happen.
The conflict arose in 2020 when Apple terminated Epic Games' developer account and withdrew Fortnite from the App Store, the company's official app store for iOS devices. The reason for this was that by enabling gamers to purchase stuff in Fortnite directly from Epic Games rather than through Apple's payment system, Epic Games broke Apple's guidelines regarding revenue sharing from in-app purchases. Apple would receive thirty percent of the proceeds from the App Store made by app developers.
The lawsuit proceeded through multiple trials and appeals, with no party coming out on top. Since iOS devices could not play Fortnite at this time, a lot of people moved to playing the game on Android, Windows, or PlayStation. Because they could still play Fortnite if they didn't update the operating system, several users even sold their outdated iOS devices.
On March 8, 2024, however, things took a turn for the worst when the European Commission implemented the Digital Markets Act (DMA), a new set of EU regulations designed to compel big internet corporations to allow competition on their platforms. The DMA states that businesses such as Apple must permit app developers to use alternative payment methods in addition to providing their own app stores.
This event is important for the video game industry because it shows how the DMA works and how businesses like Apple and Epic Games are impacted. It also gives other app developers a chance to take on the App Store and get into the European iOS market. According to Epic Games, Fortnite will return to iOS after a protracted absence and that they will soon create their own app store on the platform in Europe. Millions of Fortnite fans will be pleased by this, especially those who favor Apple products.