Epic Games has filed a complaint with EU regulators against Apple. The Fortnite maker said it wanted the EU to intervene after it was prevented from sidestepping App Store rules, Bloomberg News reported.
New Epic Games Antitrust Filing Against Apple
The EU filing is on top of those in the U.S. and Australia. Speaking to reporters Wednesday, Epic Games Chief Executive Officer Tim Sweeney said:
Apple should not have any right to block or tax a transaction through other payment services. Opening up payments on these stores is essential to eliminating the ingrained advantage” that both Apple and Google app stores have on mobile devices.
“Apple should not use its control of the hardware to force developers or consumers to use other Apple services by blocking all competitions,” Mr. Sweeney added. “There are large parts of the tech industry that cannot develop because of these monopolies.”
For its part, the EU acknowledged receipt of the complaint and said it will be assessed.
Fortnite Maker’s ‘Reckless Behavior Made Pawns of Customers’
In a statement given to The Mac Observer, an Apple spokesperson said:
For twelve years, the App Store has helped developers turn their brightest ideas into apps that change the world. Our priorities have always been to provide customers with a safe and trusted place to download software and to apply the rules equally to all developers. Epic has been one of the most successful developers on the App Store, growing into a multibillion dollar business that reaches millions of iOS customers around the world, including in the EU. In ways a judge has described as deceptive and clandestine, Epic enabled a feature in its app which was not reviewed or approved by Apple, and they did so with the express intent of violating the App Store guidelines that apply equally to every developer and protect customers. Their reckless behavior made pawns of customers, and we look forward to making this clear to the European Commission.
[Updated: Full statement from Apple spokesperson now included.]