Apple Reverses Decision to Terminate Epic Games’ Developer Accounts

In a new turn of events, Apple has reversed course on terminating Epic Games’ developer accounts with its services. According to an update on the Epic Games blog, Apple has stated that Epic Games developer account will be reinstated.

Apple had terminated the developer accounts for Epic Games earlier this week, citing tweets by Epic boss Tim Sweeny that criticised Apple’s business practices. Prior to that, Apple was ordered by the European Union that it would have to allow third-party apps and app stores on its platforms.

According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, Apple was compelled to follow the European Union’s DMA policies, which in turn permitted Epic Sweden to sign the developer agreement and get accepted into Apple’s Developer Program.

“Apple has told us and committed to the European Commission that they will reinstate our developer account,” said Epic Games in a statement. “This sends a strong signal to developers that the European Commission will act swiftly to enforce the Digital Markets Act and hold gatekeepers accountable. We are moving forward as planned to launch the Epic Games Store and bring Fortnite back to iOS in Europe. Onward!”

The DMA cited by Epic Games essentially frames Apple as a gatekeeper that has to allow other apps and app stores on to its platforms. Despite Apple owning its platform, the law essentially wants to prevent a singular entity from being the sole distributor of apps, content, or information on a single platform in an attempt to prevent a monopoly from forming on that front. Had it not reversed course on its plans, Apple would have been in breach of the DMA, which would have brought with it incredibly hefty fines for the company if it wanted to continue operating in Europe.

NEW: Apple reverses course, unbanning Epic: “Following conversations with Epic, they have committed to follow the rules, including our DMA policies. As a result, Epic Sweden AB has been permitted to re-sign the developer agreement and accepted into the Apple Developer Program.” https://t.co/9Yr0G07vWt

— Mark Gurman (@markgurman) March 8, 2024