Fortnite and Epic Games Store with Apple for review as EU launch approaches

• Epic and other companies such as Spotify have criticised Apple's fees and policies
• Nonetheless Epic are jumping through Apple's hoops, pushing forward and making their store a reality

Epic Games has submitted Fortnite and the Epic Games Store to Apple for notarisation as it awaits launch in the next couple of months in the EU. 

This follows the company's announcement in March when they revealed plans to bring the Epic Games Store to mobile devices. However, Apple since revoked Epic's iOS developer account and the two have remained at loggerheads as to Apple's new rules and their level of 'compliance' with the EU's Digital Markets Act.

Epic has now commenced the process of navigating Apple's requirements to get their App Store onto iOS. Instead of complaining further about the hurdles Apple imposes, their tweet (below) shows that they're complying with Apple's rules in order to accomplish their goal of getting their games and App Store onto iOS.

Status update on our mobile plans:

DONE:

✅ Submitted the Epic Games Store and Fortnite to Apple for their required notarization process.

IN PROGRESS:

◻️ Launch! Targeting the next couple months for the store and Fortnite on iOS in the EU.

◻️ Bring our games to other mobile…

— Epic Games Newsroom (@EpicNewsroom) June 28, 2024

Jumping past the hurdles 

In response to the EU's Digital Markets Act, Apple updated its App Store rules to allow alternative stores on iPhones which has led to the launch of  third-party iOS app stores such as Mobivention and AltStore PAL. 

While it's clear from the tone of their Tweet that Epic aren't exactly on board with jumping through Apple's hoops, pushing forward and making their store a reality ultimately benefits their player base.  

Apple’s policies require apps to undergo notarisation and human review. Approved apps must then - currently - pay a Core Technology Fee of 50 euro cents per install per year after surpassing one million downloads. 

This fee applies to both individual apps and app marketplaces like the Epic Games Store. For example, if an EU user downloads Fortnite from the Epic Games Store, Epic pays Apple one euro annually per user due to the fee applying twice.

Epic and other companies such as Spotify have criticised Apple's fees and policies, arguing they don't comply with the DMA. The European Commission recently issued a preliminary judgement stating that Apple's anti-steering policies violate the DMA and is now investigating the Core Technology Fee and other rules related to alternative app marketplaces.