Apple confirms it has reinstated Epic Games' developer account following “conversations”
Apple provides a statement on Epic's developer account.
Just two days after Epic Games' developer account was terminated by Apple, prompting additional questions from the European Union, the account is back.
In a blog update from the Epic Games Newsroom, the company said "Apple has told us and committed to the European Commission that they will reinstate our developer account."
"This sends a strong signal to developers that the European Commission will act swiftly to enforce the Digital Markets Act and hold gatekeepers accountable."
"We are moving forward as planned to launch the Epic Games Store and bring Fortnite back to iOS in Europe. Onward!"
Apple provided a statement to iMore when reached for comment, saying the following:
"Following conversations with Epic, they have committed to follow the rules, including our DMA policies."
"As a result, Epic Sweden AB has been permitted to re-sign the developer agreement and accepted into the Apple Developer Program.”
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Epic's developer account is back, so what next?
Epic's Sweden studio is tasked with operating Epic's own mobile storefront on iOS and Android, and leading development efforts to bring Fortnite back to iOS.
The popular game has been absent since Apple removed it due to Epic suggesting players circumnavigate the App Store and use external payment methods to avoid paying Apple's fees. The game was also removed from Google's Play Store.
The developer account had been reinstated last month, but was terminated earlier this week. Epic Games said this was due to its criticisms of Apple's compliance with the Digital Markets Act, while Apple claimed an agreement had been broken.
The ongoing legal battle has been less 'tête-à-tête' and more 'tit-for-tat', but appeared to be reaching its conclusion when both company's appeals were shut down by California's Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in January of this year.
Fortnite's latest season arrives in-game today on PC and console.
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Lloyd Coombes is a freelance writer with a specialism in Apple tech. From his first, hand-me-down iMac, he’s been working with Apple products for over a decade, and while he loves his iPhone and Mac, the iPad will always have his heart for reasons he still can’t quite fathom. Since moving from blogging to writing professionally, Lloyd’s work can be found at TechRadar, Macworld, TechAdvisor and plenty more. He’s also the Editor in Chief at GGRecon.com, and on the rare occasion he’s not writing you’ll find him spending time with his son, or working hard at the gym (while wearing an Apple Watch, naturally). You can find him on Twitter @lloydcoombes.