Epic Games calls out Apple over app store submission rejections

The European Union passed a new law in 2023, forcing companies like Apple to open up their mobile platforms for competing services like app stores and payment technologies. As a result, Epic Games has been hard at work to bring the Epic Games Store to iOS. However, the relationship between the two companies is still hostile, with Epic now accusing Apple of impeding its efforts. 

Epic Games issued a new statement this week, claiming that Apple has blocked its Epic Games Store submission twice for dubious reasons. In the most recent rejection, Apple told Epic that its button designs were “too similar” to those found on the App Store. However, Epic Games says it is simply following standard industry design conventions, which are similar across apps on all mobile devices.

“Apple has rejected our Epic Games Store notarisation 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. 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 in its statement.

“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.”

Epic Games has swiftly told the EU about this, claiming that Apple is in violation of the Digital Markets Act, the new law forcing Apple to allow iOS users to sideload apps and obtain apps from other sources outside of the app store. Microsoft is also planning its own Xbox Store app for iOS devices, which would grant quicker access to services like Game Pass and Xbox Cloud Gaming.

Epic says that barring any further roadblocks from Apple, it plans to have the Epic Game Store available on iOS devices within the next couple of months.

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KitGuru Says: Given how much of a headache Epic Games has caused for Apple over the last few years with legal battles, this does come across as a petty manoeuvre. Still, it seems that Epic is determined to get its store onto iOS before the end of the year and when that happens, Fortnite will be back on iOS too. 

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