Update, Saturday 6th July: Epic Games has updated its statement to confirm that Apple has now accepted its submission.
In a brief addendum, Epic said: “Update: Apple has informed us that our previously rejected Epic Games Store notary notice has now been accepted”.
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Epic did not say whether it had withdrawn its call to the European Commission to investigate its “concerns”.
The following is the original story.
Epic Games has referred Apple to the European Commission for refusing to notarize it, claiming that Apple’s refusal is “arbitrary, obstructive and in breach of the Digital Markets Act (DMA)”.
In a statement posted on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, Epic said Apple had a problem with its call-to-action buttons, claiming that the “Get” and “In-App Purchases” buttons were too similar in design. to custom Apple buttons.
Epic says it uses the words “installs” and “in-app purchases” because it follows naming conventions that app users are already familiar with.
“Apple has rejected our Epic Games Store notarization twice, claiming that the design and placement 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 button . Label ‘In-App Purchases,’” Epic Games said.
“We use the same ‘Install’ and ‘In-App Purchases’ naming conventions used in popular cross-platform app stores and follow standard conventions for buttons in iOS apps. We’re just trying to build a store that mobile users can easily understand and publishing in-app purchases is a regulatory best practice that all stores currently follow.
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“Apple’s refusal is arbitrary, obstructive and in violation of the DMA, and we have shared our concerns with the European Commission,” Epic concluded. “Without further obstacles from Apple, we remain ready to launch in the EU Epic Games Store and Fortnite on iOS in the EU in the next few months.”
ICYMI, EU regulators recently launched a new investigation after claims that Apple is not complying with EU rules.
The European Commission, which launched an investigation into Apple’s alleged non-compliance in March, accused Apple of violating the Digital Markets Act, which means Apple could face a fine of up to 10 percent of the company’s global annual revenue. That might not sound like much, but when you consider that Apple generates £301 billion ($383 billion) a year, it’s quite a penalty.
As Tom explained to us at the time, Apple’s previously announced solution to complying with the DMA rules drew fire for fees and caps that make it expensive to launch games or apps outside of the App Store — something that is a longtime legal rival of Epic Games boss Tim. Sweeney called it “hot garbage”.