Apple bans Epic’s developer account, saying the company has “proven untrustworthy”

Epic could be in serious danger in the EU. Just one day later, Apple terminated developer accounts on third-party app stores in Europe to comply with the Digital Markets Act (DMA). Epic said it was “unable to develop the Epic Games Store for iOS” due to the ban, calling the move a “serious violation of the DMA.” in other words,

this fort night The developer published a blog post about the matter and shared a letter from Apple’s lawyers saying that Epic Games “truly cannot be trusted,” suggesting that the reason behind the ban is Apple’s concern that Epic will not comply with the requirements for obtaining the game. Inherent contractual agreement. It’s worth noting that Apple didn’t have any compliance concerns at the time.

So what has changed? Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney bluntly called it “a cunning new example of malicious compliance.” Sweeney said Apple technically complied with the DMA but in many ways severely weakened third-party app stores, calling it an “anti-competitive scheme rife with new junk fees for downloads and levies for payments that are not processed.” New Apple Tax”.

These claims are not entirely without merit, although Sweeney and company are far from a selfless party. You have the right to close any application if you find anything that violates these rules. Additionally, once an app is downloaded more than 1 million times, developers must pay, which costs about 54 cents per install per year. A letter from a top financial institution proving entitlement to at least $1.1 million in credit to handle potential financial disputes must also be shared. There is also a fixed commission payable on each transaction, ranging from 15% to 30%.

back Regarding the new App Store rules, Apple’s Phil Schiller sent an email to Epic Games on February 23, asking for “written assurances” that the company will live up to its promises. “Please tell us in simple, unqualified terms why we should trust Epic this time,” the letter concluded.

Sweeney responded, “Epic and its subsidiaries act in good faith and will comply with the terms of all current and future agreements with Apple, and we will be happy to provide any specific further assurances to Apple on the topics you desire.” This seems to be That didn’t satisfy Apple, as it went ahead and revoked the developer’s account this week.

Epic responded by saying that the move undermines its “ability to be a viable competitor” and that Apple “shows other developers what happens when you try to compete” or “criticizes their unfair practices.” The developer called the ban “simple retaliation for Epic speaking out against Apple’s unfair and illegal practices.”

Apple sees things differently. It blamed “Epic’s material breach of its contractual obligations” The iPhone maker went on to say that it “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 in its sole discretion. In light of Epic’s past and current conduct, Apple has chosen to exercise this a right.”

Despite these feuds, developers still plan to bring fort night To iOS, possibly through independent third-party storefronts. It also works with Unreal Engine to Apple Vision Pro.

Today’s development involves the DMA, a law that designates large companies as “gatekeepers” and certain services, such as Apple’s App Store, as “core platform services.” The law mandates interoperability of these services with competing products to maintain compliance. This is why Apple allows third-party app stores in the first place.

However, the feud between the two companies goes back many years, long before the DMA appeared in the EU’s eyes. Epic Games has been fighting Apple’s developer transaction fee policy since 2020, and in an antitrust case before the Ninth Circuit Court of California, Epic ruled in Epic’s favor, saying Apple violated the state’s unfair competition law, but SCOTUS said no, so that’s the current situation. However, the Justice Department opposed Apple.

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