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Conflicting relationship: Apple and “Fortnite”
Photo: CHRIS DELMAS / AFP
The smartphone version of the game “Fortnite” is set to return to Apple’s iPhones in the EU thanks to the new DMA digital law. The developer company Epic announced its own app store for Apple devices this year. There was initially no specific date.
The DMA (Digital Markets Act) requires operators of large platforms to allow apps to be downloaded from external sources. Until now, you could only download applications from the in-house app store on the iPhone. But that will change when the DMA regulations take effect from March 7th.
A dispute with a history
“Fortnite” has not been able to be downloaded onto iPhones for over three years. Apple banned the game from its App Store in August 2020 after Epic used a trick to avoid the 30 percent levy when purchasing digital content on the platform. Epic took the expulsion to court but lost. In the USA and outside the EU, Apple still does not have to allow “Fortnite” into the App Store.
Apple wants to retain a certain degree of control over the installation of applications from other app stores in the future. This will only be possible from marketplaces that are approved by Apple. The company says it checks apps for malware.
Will the conflict enter the next round?
Apple emphasized in its announcement on Thursday that it wanted to protect users. At the same time, for apps from external sources, a “core technology fee” of 50 euro cents per installed app is due after one million downloads in the respective year.
Epic boss Tim Sweeney accused Apple of undermining competition by implementing the DMA in this way. Among other things, he pointed out that by “authenticating” marketplaces, Apple could block competing app stores from Epic or Microsoft, for example. However, none of this stopped Epic from announcing its own App Store for iPhones shortly after his criticism.
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