Apple and Epic Games have been in an ongoing battle over App Store policies, and now the frenzy has taken a new turn. In a surprising turn of events, Apple has decided to terminate Epic Sweden's developer account globally due to its untrustworthy behavior, calling it a threat to the iOS ecosystem. The company's decision took a U-turn a month after it approved Epic's developer account, and it remains to be seen if the company will comply with the Digital Markets Act.
Apple and Epic are at it again! Epic Games developer account was terminated by Apple due to untrustworthy behavior
Epic was on its way to reintroduce Fortnite on iOS in the coming months through Apple's approval, which came into effect under the EU's Digital Markets Act. Now, Apple's lawyers have sent a letter to Epic stating that its Sweden AB account has been terminated. The termination would prevent Epic from publishing any app or game on the iOS App Store.
Epic is not pleased with the decision as it is calling it a "serious violation of the DMA" and that Apple does not allow "true competition on iOS devices." However, Apple states that the right to terminate a client has been bestowed by the court, allowing the company to disassociate itself from any affiliates, subsidiaries, and other entities that fall under Epic Games. The company shared a statement with MacRumors that reads:
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, affiliates, and/or other entities under Epic Games' control at any time and at Apple's sole discretion." In light of Epic's past and ongoing behavior, Apple chose to exercise that right.
Apple states that it cannot be sure that Epic will comply with its Developer Program's guidelines and policies in the future, which is one of the reasons why the company terminated its developer account. Apple's termination will impact Epic's decision to launch an Epic Games store on iOS in the EU. The game store would have been used to bring Fortnite to the iPhone. The changes were expected to arrive with the release of iOS 17.4, and it appears that Epic will continue struggling to bring the highly popular Battle Royale title to the iPhone. According to Epic's press release:
In terminating Epic's developer account, Apple is taking out one of the largest potential competitors to the Apple App Store. They are undermining our ability to be a viable competitor and they are showing other developers what happens when you try to compete with Apple or are critical of their unfair practices.
Epic CEO Tim Sweeney recently took a dig at Apple, criticizing Apple's solution to the changes imposed by the Digital Markets Act in the EU. This is not the first time the two companies have exchanged unpleasantries, as the legal battle initiated back in 2020 when Fortnite introduced a third-party payment system. This made Apple remove the app from the App Store due to Epic's violation of the App Store guidelines. However, the legal battle is far from over at this stage. We will keep you updated on the latest as soon as the news develops. Do you think Apple did the right thing by terminating Epic Games Sweden's developer account? Let us know in the comments.
About the author: Ali Salman is a technology reporter for Wccftech mobile section with a specialized focus on Apple and the intellectual property that drives mobile innovation. He has cultivated a unique expertise in analyzing and deconstructing complex technology patents, translating dense legal and technical documents into clear, insightful reports on future products.
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