The Epic Games Store recently launched on the iPhone in the EU. For the first time, Epic’s own store became an option for some iPhone users, and Android too. But it seems the company behind Fortnite is finding developer royalty rates an ongoing challenge.
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The Apple versus Epic Games case rumbles on despite the rejection of attempts to appeal by both companies.
Yesterday one of the judges in the case effectively accused Apple of lying, and now the Cupertino company is attempting a new tactic in a bid to have the ruling either thrown out altogether or narrowed so that only Epic Games benefits …
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A second judge in the Apple versus Epic Games lawsuit has implied that the Cupertino company has lied to the court. It comes after the original judge strongly implied that Apple had not told the truth about the reasons for its new App Store policy.
A second judge tasked with overseeing Apple’s disclosure of decision-making documents in the antitrust case said that a court filing made by the company was “simply not believable” …
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Epic Games relaunched Fortnite in the EU a couple days ago, after a 4 year legal battle with Apple over the App Store’s 30% revenue cut. Apple announced changes to app distribution in the EU earlier this year, and Epic is finally taking advantage of it to bring Fortnite back to Apple platforms.
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Third-party iOS app store AltStore PAL is now free of charge, following a grant provided by Epic Games.
This means there will be no annual subscription fee for new users, and existing subscribers to the EU app store will not be charged when their renewal falls due …
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The controversy over Apple’s fees for apps which are sold outside the App Store continues, with both Epic Games and Spotify objecting to the company’s latest attempt to comply with EU antitrust laws.
Spotify has described Apple’s latest fee structure as “confusing and unacceptable,” while Epic Games has called the fees “illegal” …
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Epic Games announced today that Fortnite is coming back to the iPhone very soon in the EU. When it does, it will arrive not only in the new Epic Games Store, but also third-party mobile stores like AltStore.
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Earlier today, Epic Games accused Apple of deliberately delaying notarization of its Epic Games app marketplace in the European Union. Reuters now reports that Apple has approved the Epic Games app marketplace as of Friday afternoon.
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Epic Games has accused Apple of deliberately delaying its attempt to launch its own iOS games store in Europe, and has raised it as a potential antitrust issue with the EU.
The Fortnite developer said that Apple was rejecting its app because the iPhone maker considered the Install and In-app Purchases labels and buttons too similar to those used in its own App Store …
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The judge in the Apple versus Epic Games case has told the Cupertino company that she wants to see all of the company’s documents relating to its revised App Store policies – and she has strongly emphasised that she means all of them.
It follows earlier remarks in which she strongly implied that Apple was guilty of bad-faith compliance with the antitrust ruling she made back in 2021 …
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The US judge who ordered Apple to allow developers to sell apps outside of the official App Store has sharply criticized the way the iPhone maker has responded.
Epic Games went back to court to claim that Apple was not properly complying with the antitrust order, and remarks made by judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers indicate that she is in agreement …
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The impact of the EU’s Digital Markets Act (DMA) is continuing to unfold with the latest from the regulators stipulating that Apple’s iPadOS needs to follow the same new rules as iOS. With that, Epic has shared its plan to bring back Fortnite via the new EU Epic Games Store on not just iPhone, but also iPad.
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There are more developments today in the ongoing battle between Apple and some of its biggest App Store opponents. First, in a new amicus briefed filed in the United States today, Meta, Microsoft, X, and Match Group have teamed up to oppose Apple’s proposed anti-steering changes in the United States.
Meanwhile, Epic Games shared more details about its plans to launch its own app marketplace for iPhone in the European Union. The company says it will take a 12% commission from sales…
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Epic Games has won its battle to be an iOS developer (though who knows how many more twists and turns there may be along the way), and it will now be hoping that its new Unreal Engine fee doesn’t lead to battles with its own developer clients …
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After a whirlwind of events, Epic Games says Apple has reinstated their App Store developer account. The move clears the way for Epic to bring its Epic Games Store to the EU, avoiding the App Store structure altogether. The turnaround is somewhat unexpected as Apple seemed to stand by its decision to revoke Epic’s developer account on Wednesday.
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Apple appeared to threaten Epic Games, when the company cancelled its developer account for the second time, and cited the developer’s public criticisms of the iPhone maker as one of the reasons.
The European Commissioner, who heads up the executive branch of the European Union, has now suggested that this breaks the law …
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Apple’s Epic ban – which saw the iPhone maker again terminate a developer account used by the games company – is being questioned by EU antitrust regulators.
More details also emerged of follow-ups to Phil Schiller’s demand for written assurances of good faith by both Epic CEO Tim Sweeney and Apple’s lawyers …
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In the latest installment of Things No One Should Lose Sleep Over, Epic Games says Apple has taken down its newly reinstated developer account in the EU. In a blog post, Epic partially blames a tweet as Apple’s reason for doing so. Epic says this hinders its plans to launch a competing app marketplace in the EU.
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Despite Tim Sweeney’s vocal opposition to Apple’s new third-party app marketplace guidelines in the European Union, Epic Games is planning to launch its own store on iPhone later this year. The company teased its plans last month, and has shared more details in a blog post today.
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A Disney/Epic Games partnership announced this week may see the Fortnite developer return to the App Store despite the fractious relationship between Apple and Epic.
The collaboration will see new games featuring characters and stories across a range of Disney worlds, including Walt Disney, Star Wars, Pixar, and Marvel …
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While some may have thought the Epic Games versus Apple battle ended when the US Supreme Court decided the existing App Store ruling would stand, and it would not hear appeals from either side, it quickly became clear that this isn’t the case.
Epic Games has now followed through with its threat to contest Apple’s “bad-faith compliance plan” – which would see the company charge 27% commission on app sales made outside of its own App Store …
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Daring Fireball’s John Gruber has said that Apple’s decision to charge 27% commission on app sales made outside the App Store “reeks of greed and avarice.”
He also backs the view I expressed yesterday that the iPhone maker is putting itself in the firing line of regulators and legislators, while a majority of 9to5Mac commenters appear to disagree …
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The Supreme Court’s decision not to hear appeals by either Apple or Epic Games means that the antitrust case is officially decided – and the iPhone maker is now demanding that the games company pay $73M of its $81M legal expenses.
The iPhone maker says that as there were ten issues at stake, and Apple won on nine of them, Epic should pay 90% of its legal bill …
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The US Supreme Court yesterday decided that the original ruling in the Epic Games case should stand – and Apple’s response to the antitrust ruling has been uncompromising, to put it politely.
The company’s announcement that it will allow external payments but still claim a 27% commission on sales made outside the App Store is effectively Apple giving the middle finger not just to Epic Games – which may be understandable – but also to the court which made the original ruling, and to antitrust regulators …
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