Epic Games announced that it will cover Apple’s app store fees for a year to support developers in the European Union.
Epic Gameshas taken an important step to support application developers in the European Union. The company announced that developers who offer their applications through the Epic Games Store on iOS devices will pay the Core Technology Fee (CTF) fee charged by Apple for one year. This fee is set at 0.50 euros for each application installation. Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney stated that this move was made to create a competitive platform against Apple’s app store policies.
Tension Between Epic Games and Apple Fees
Epic Games has long criticized Apple’s app store policies. Tim Sweeney stated that the CTF fee stifles competition and makes it difficult for third-party app stores to become a meaningful option for users. Although Apple exempts this fee for small developers in certain cases, Epic Games argues that these regulations are not comprehensive enough.
Under this new policy in the Epic Games Store, developers will not have to worry about the fee Apple charges per install when adding their free applications to the store. This can provide significant support, especially for small and medium-sized developers. However, Epic Games has also made it clear that covering these fees in the long term is not financially sustainable.
This move by Epic Games became possible due to the influence of the European Union’s Digital Markets Act. This law requires large companies like Apple to allow third-party app stores and impose regulations that increase competition. While Epic Games demands stricter enforcement of these legal regulations, it claims that Apple is driving users away from alternative stores with obstacles such as “scary screens” and high fees.
Epic Games covering Apple fees offers developers the opportunity to relieve a significant financial burden. However, it is a matter of curiosity whether this move will contribute to the expansion of Epic Games Store in other markets outside Europe in the long term. For now, this support is only available to developers in the European Union.
Epic Games seems determined to support developers by taking another step in its competitive battle with Apple. This move could change app store dynamics and provide more options for users.