Epic Games has confirmed its plans to create an iOS alternative app marketplace in the European Union as Apple has reinstated its App Store developer account. The Fortnite maker will be allowed to develop its third-party store on the iPhone once the iOS 17.4 update rolls out.
The company confirmed in its 2023 Year in Review roundup that Apple has restored its App Store developer account, which is necessary for Epic Games to develop and deploy its alternative app marketplace on iOS. The company also says it has already started developing an iOS version of its Epic Games Store, which allows users to download games on platforms like Windows and macOS. The press release also confirmed that the Epic Games Store for iOS will launch sometime in 2024.
We’ve received our Apple Developer Account and will start developing the Epic Games Store on iOS soon thanks to the new Digital Markets Act. We plan to launch in 2024. Epic Games Sweden AB will operate the mobile Epic Games Store and Fortnite in Europe, with the Store team leading development.
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Epic Games
The company previously announced its plans via a post on X shortly after Apple confirmed app ecosystem changes coming with iOS 17.4 in compliance with the EU’s Digital Markets Act (DMA). Today’s news confirms the reinstatement of Epic Games’ developer account, which Apple first suspended in 2020 alongside removing the popular Fortnite title from the App Store over in-app purchase changes.
With the iOS 17.4 update, Apple is ushering forward a series of major changes to the app ecosystem on the iPhone. It will allow app installs outside the App Store through alternative app marketplaces, and lower app download commissions while introducing the controversial “Core Technology Fee,” priced at €0.50 per app install per year over the first one million downloads.
The changes will also span the iPhone’s NFC chip which will be opened for third-party Apple Pay competitors. Users and developers will also have the choice to set up default third-party web browsers other than Safari and the ability to deploy non-WebKit web engines on browser apps.
