As first reported by Bloomberg, EU regulators are pressing Apple for answers after Epic Games said that its development account was terminated.
Just last month, Epic Games announced plans to return to iOS in Europe sometime this year. The company planned to use its Epic Games Sweden AB developer account.
Yesterday, Epic Games released an official blog explaining that the account was terminated. Epic says that Apple cited public criticism against its proposed DMA compliance plan. Apple also reportedly cited “that Epic is a threat to their ecosystem”.
Now, Bloomberg reports that “an EU commission spokesperson confirmed it had requested further explanations from Apple”. Further, regulators are “examining whether Apple’s behavior may have fallen foul of other digital rules”.
Bloomberg also reports that Apple issued another statement about their decision:
“Epic’s egregious breach of its contractual obligations to Apple led courts to determine that Apple has the right to terminate any or all of Epic Games wholly owned subsidiaries”.
Epic Games previously battled Apple in court many times. In January 2024, Apple announced plans to seek out $73 million from Epic Games for legal reimbursements.
Later that month, Apple appeared to show more flexibility in its business practices. Apple posted an official update with new permissions for game streaming services and apps. Services such as Xbox Cloud Gaming would then work on iPhones.
Apple added that “mini-apps, mini-games, chatbots, and plug-ins will be able to incorporate Apple’s In-App Purchase system”. This appeared to loosen the company’s grip.
Epic Games’ recent blog suggests that “Apple is retaliating against Epic”.
Apple does appear to be testing the Digital Markets Act. Epic Games calls Apple’s decision “a serious violation of the DMA and shows Apple has no intention of allowing true competition on iOS devices”.
EU regulators have not received responses from Apple at this time.
For more of the latest Insider Gaming news, you can read about For Honor reaching 35 million players since launching in 2016.
