(Reuters) -“Fortnite” maker Epic Video games mentioned on Friday that Apple was impeding its makes an attempt to arrange a video games retailer on iPhones and iPads in Europe, the most recent escalation in a bitter feud over the know-how big’s management of the iOS app ecosystem.
Apple has twice rejected paperwork the video-game writer submitted to launch the Epic Video games Retailer as a result of the design of sure buttons and labels was much like these utilized by its App Retailer, Epic mentioned.
“We’re utilizing the identical “Set up” and “In-app purchases” naming conventions which are used throughout standard app shops on a number of platforms, and are following customary conventions for buttons in iOS apps,” Epic mentioned in a sequence of posts on X.
“Apple’s rejection is unfair, obstructive, and in violation of the DMA (Digital Markets Act), and we have shared our issues with the European Fee,” it mentioned.
Apple mentioned it was working with Epic to resolve the problem and launch its video games market. The European Fee declined to remark.
Epic and Apple have been embroiled in a authorized battle since 2020, when the gaming agency alleged that Apple’s observe of charging as much as 30% commissions on in-app funds on its iPhone Working System (iOS) units violated U.S. antitrust guidelines.
Early this 12 months, Apple proposed adjustments to its App Retailer insurance policies to adjust to sure directives of the DMA that went into drive in March.
It allowed various app shops on iPhones and an opt-out from utilizing the in-app funds system, however set a “core know-how payment”, which a number of builders discovered exploitative.
Final month, EU antitrust regulators mentioned Apple’s revised phrases failed to fulfill the requirements set within the DMA, and launched one other investigation over its new contract necessities for app builders and shops.
(Reporting by Yuvraj Malik, Aditya Soni and Jaspreet Singh in Bengaluru; Enhancing by Arun Koyyur and Shounak Dasgupta)