LogInMeanwhile, Apple starts charging for installs.
Image credit: Epic Games
Finally, Fortnite fans will soon be able to play the game on iPhones thanks to the Epic Games Store app. Well, at least in the EU. Despite this, Epic will "continue to argue to the courts and regulators that Apple is breaking the law."
Apple has been battling to keep its monopoly for years, but the European Parliament pushed through the Digital Markets Act, so the company had no choice but to allow third-party marketplaces, a decision that will come into effect in March.
There are many changes in the new policy, but one will catch your eye for sure. To ensure stable income even from other App Stores, Apple introduced the Core Technology Fee, which states developers will have to pay €0.50 for "each first annual install per year over a 1 million threshold."
"Developers can choose to adopt these new business terms, or stay on Apple’s existing terms. Developers must adopt the new business terms for EU apps to use the new capabilities for alternative distribution or alternative payment processing."
Fortnite is a very popular game, so it will definitely fall under this new rule. Imagine how much Epic will owe Apple – it hardly seems like a win. Fortnite creator's CEO Tim Sweeney called out the tech giant and said the changes are "a devious new instance of malicious compliance."
"They are forcing developers to choose between App Store exclusivity and the store terms, which will be illegal under DMA, or accept a new also-illegal anticompetitive scheme rife with new Junk Fees on downloads and new Apple taxes on payments they don't process."
The fees are not the only sly move on Apple's part. To create an alternative App Store, you apparently have to "provide Apple a stand-by letter of credit from an A-rated financial Institution of €1,000,000." Oh, and iOS users will see a pesky message when they open an app that doesn't support Apple's payment system.
The general consensus now is that Apple has no plans to honor the EU regulations in the way it was expected. We probably should have seen it coming: money is money, after all.
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