It's been a hectic journey with plenty of stops and starts, but AppleInsider reports that the Epic Game Store for iOS has passed Apple's notarization process in the European Union.
This clears the way for Epic CEO Tim Sweeney to realize his long-cherished goal of launching an alternative game store on Apple's closed platform, at least in Europe.
Apple announced plans earlier this year to allow third-party app stores on iOS in the region, meeting the letter of the law (though some say the spirit) as required by the Digital Markets Act (DMA), which was passed in the hopes of making platforms more open and competitive.
Apple's new policy allows for alternative app marketplaces, but with some big caveats to the deal that app developers are agreeing to. We covered it extensively earlier this year.
The change follows years of contentious PR campaigns and global lawsuits between Epic and Apple, with Sweeney alleging that Apple's app approval processes are anti-competitive and that its 30 percent cut of app revenue is unfair.
Even after the shift, Apple reportedly rejected the Epic Games Store app twice. The rejections were related to specific rules about the copy and shape of buttons in the app, but not its primary function.
In the rejections, Apple told Epic that some of the app's buttons were too similar to Apple's own buttons, both in appearance and text, including the “Install” button and the “in-app purchases” text. Apple said this violated rules it had in its guidelines to prevent developers from overly mimicking Apple's app designs, potentially confusing users.
Following the rejections, Epic went to X to accuse Apple of rejecting the app in a manner that was “arbitrary, obstructive, and in violation of the DMA.” Epic claimed that it had followed Apple's suggested design conventions for the buttons, noting that the text matched language it had long used in its store on other platforms.
Not long after, Apple went ahead and approved the app, despite the disagreement over the text and button designs. However, AppleInsider reported that Apple would later ask Epic to change the text and buttons. Epic disputed that on X , and Sweeney offered his own take:
Apple's DMA story has taken an absurd turn.
Apple now tells reporters that this approval is temporary and demands that we change the buttons in the next version, which would make our store less standard and harder to use.
We are going to fight this.
While the issue is still controversial, it looks like the Epic Game Store will soon reach iPhone and iPad users in the European Union. Epic still needs to build out some key components of the new storefront, such as the platform's mobile payment system.
