Epic promises Fortnite is coming back to iOS in the EU this year, but it's not done fighting with Apple

In light of new regulations in the EU and Apple's new policies to comply with them, Fortnite is finally coming back to iOS in 2024 - at least in Europe. But Epic and Apple aren't done fighting with each other.

The EU's Digital Markets Act passed in 2022 and is set to come into effect for companies like Apple in March 2024, providing new regulations intended to create more competition in digital marketplaces. Today, Apple announced what its compliance will look like. There's a terrific write-up from The Verge breaking down the nitty-gritty, but in essence, developers will now have a path to create third-party stores on iOS, separate from the App Store, that can use third-party payment processors to bypass Apple's fees.

Shortly after the announcement, Epic tweeted that "Fortnite will return to iOS in Europe in 2024, distributed by the upcoming Epic Games Store for iOS. Stay tuned for details as we figure out the regulatory timeline. We'll continue to argue to the courts and regulators that Apple is breaking the law."

Neither Apple nor Epic is happy about the current state of things in the EU. Apple says its compliance with the new regulations will require it to "open new avenues for malware, fraud and scams, illicit and harmful content, and other privacy and security threats." Meanwhile, Epic boss Tim Sweeney calls Apple's outline a "plan to thwart Europe's new Digital Markets Act law" that acts as a "devious new instance of Malicious Compliance."

Back in 2020, Epic introduced a direct payment system in Fortnite that bypassed Apple's fees for V-Bucks purchases. Apple responded by removing Fortnite from the App Store. Epic then kicked off a campaign rallying against Apple's marketplace control, backed with a marketing campaign called Free Fortnite, intended to win the hearts and minds of players. I'm not sure if anybody who plays Fortnite really cares who wins what amounts to a corporate slap fight over where certain percentages of billion dollar profits are going, but