Epic Games accuses Apple of ‘arbitrary, obstructive’ rejection of iOS app store

Epic Games said Friday that Apple’s decision to reject its proposed iOS app store for the European Union (EU) was “arbitrary” and “obstructive,” accusing the iPhone maker of violating the bloc’s Digital Markets Act (DMA). 

“Apple’s rejection is arbitrary, obstructive, and in violation of the DMA, and we’ve shared our concerns with the European Commission,” Epic wrote in a post on the social platform X.

“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,” it continued. 

Apple has twice rejected Epic’s notarization submissions for a competing app store on iOS devices in Europe, saying the design of its “Install” and “In-app purchases” labels were too similar to Apple’s App Store.

“We are using the same ‘Install’ and ‘In-app purchases’ naming conventions that are used across popular app stores on multiple platforms, and are following standard conventions for buttons in iOS apps,” Epic said on X.

“We’re just trying to build a store that mobile users can easily understand, and the disclosure of in-app purchases is a regulatory best practice followed by all stores nowadays,” it added. 

The video game developer behind Fortnite has long feuded with Apple.

In 2020, Epic attempted to bypass the App Store’s payment system in protest of its 30 percent cut of in-app purchases and Apple’s restrictions on other purchasing methods.

As a result, the iPhone maker blocked Fortnite from the App Store, prompting a years-long legal battle between the two companies.