Epic Games Calls Out Apple Over 'Roadblocks' in Launching Game Store in Europe [UPDATE]

Update, July 5, 1:50 p.m. PT: Apple has told IGN that it has now approved the Epic Sweden AB Marketplace app, and that it's asked Epic to fix the appearance similarity issue in a future submission. Epic Games confirmed this with an update on its X/Twitter account, which you can see below.

Update: Apple has informed us that our previously rejected Epic Games Store notarization submission has now been accepted. https://t.co/tl5LY1aQD6

— Epic Games Newsroom (@EpicNewsroom) July 5, 2024

Previous story as follows:

Fortnite developer Epic Games has referred Apple to the European Commission over its rejection in bringing its game store to the EU, Epic said in a statement on X/Twitter on Friday.

In the X/Twitter thread, which you can read below, Epic says Apple has rejected the notarization submission of its game store twice. The reason given by Apple, Epic says, is similarities between the Epic Game Store's "Install" and "In-app purchases" buttons and Apple's "Get" and "In-App Purchases" labels.

1/3 Apple has rejected our Epic Games Store notarization submission twice now, claiming the design and position of Epic’s “Install” button is too similar to Apple's "Get" button and that our "In-app purchases" label is too similar to the App Store's "In-App Purchases" label.— Epic Games Newsroom (@EpicNewsroom) July 5, 2024

3/3 Apple's rejection is arbitrary, obstructive, and in violation of the DMA, and we've shared our concerns with the European Commission. Barring further roadblocks from Apple, we remain ready to launch in the Epic Games Store and Fortnite on iOS in the EU in the next couple of…— Epic Games Newsroom (@EpicNewsroom) July 5, 2024

Epic, however, argues that Apple's "rejection is arbitrary, obstructive, and in violation of the DMA (Digital Markets Act)," and that it is following standard conventions in order to make the Epic Game Store easy for users to understand.

"Barring further roadblocks from Apple, we remain ready to launch in the Epic Games Store and Fortnite on iOS in the EU in the next couple of months," Epic adds.

Epic previously announced that it would bring its digital storefront and Fornite back to iOS in Europe earlier this year. That's thanks in large part to the EU's Digital Markets Act and the resulting changes made to Apple's polices that made it possible for third-party companies to launch their own storefronts on the App Store.

Today's statement is only the latest in Apple and Epic's ongoing regulatory feud, with Epic having taken Apple to task over the 30% cut it takes in in-app purchases. It led to a heavily followed antitrust trial in 2021, with the legal battle continuing over the years.

Epic's case could be one of the first to demonstrate how Apple and other major companies affected by the DMA deal with the regulations. In March, EU regulators opened an investigation into Apple, Google, and Meta over non-compliance with the DMA policies, with it being revealed in June that Apple would be the first company to face charges over it.

Alex Stedman is a Senior News Editor with IGN, overseeing entertainment reporting. When she's not writing or editing, you can find her reading fantasy novels or playing Dungeons & Dragons.