Epic Games says it will bring Fortnite to iPad after EU dubs iPadOS a ‘gatekeeper’ under DMA
On the heels of the EUâs decision to designate Appleâs iPadOS as another digital âgatekeeperâ under its Digital Markets Act (DMA) regulation, Fortnite maker Epic Games confirmed it will bring its popular battle royale game to the iPad later this year. The company had previously announced Fortnite would return to iPhones in the EU as a result of the DMA, which forces Apple to compete with alternative app stores, like Epicâs Game Store.
In a post on X on Monday, Epic Games praised the EUâs decision around the iPad and said that it was moving âfull steam aheadâ to bring Fortnite to the Epic Games Store in the EU âsoonâ and iPads later this year.
The rivalry between Epic and Apple has been ongoing for years, after Epic sued the tech giant over its alleged anticompetitive conduct over its App Store and commission structure. Though Apple largely won that case, as the court ruled the tech giant was not a monopoly, it did have to allow developers to direct their customers to other ways to pay from inside their apps â a point for Epic that had a wider impact across the developer community.
Later, when Apple revealed its plan to comply with the EUâs DMA, Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney called out Appleâs new rules a form of âmalicious complianceâ that were âfull of junk feesâ and vowed to fight them. Apple responded by terminating Epic Gamesâ developer account, dubbing the game maker a âthreatâ to the iOS ecosystem. Shortly after the EU began investigating Appleâs decision to kill Epicâs account, Apple reinstated it.
Whether or not Epic Games will be able to bring Fortnite to the iPhone and iPad as planned still remains to be seen, given Appleâs responses so far. However, it does signal Epicâs intention to compete with Apple via its own games store across Appleâs top platforms.