The return of Fortnite to iOS in the UK is “uncertain”, Epic has claimed, as it’s unable to bring the Epic Games Store to iOS this year, “if ever”.
That’s because the CMA, the UK’s competition regulator, has “deprioritised store competition entirely”, following the lengthy legal battle between Epic and Apple.
The CMA has today released two roadmaps for possible measures to improve competition in mobile ecosystems for both Apple and Google. However, Epic has claimed in a statement the regulator is “choosing not to prioritise opening the mobile ecosystem to alternative app stores this year”.
It continued: “This is a missed opportunity to introduce competition into a currently-monopolised market and unlock economic growth and consumer choice. Four years after concluding that the App Store and Google Play Store are parallel monopolies the CMA has done nothing to allow competing stores.
“A free market requires multiple stores competing to offer consumers the best prices and services. If you don’t have competing stores, the one store that is a state-sanctioned monopoly will use its control to extract all the value from the market at the expense of all creators who cannot compete, and consumers who can’t choose the best deal among competing stores.”
In May this year, Fortnite finally returned to Apple devices in the US and Europe after a five-year legal battle over store competition.
However, following Brexit, the UK has not been included, so the return of Fortnite won’t be until at least next year.
“The CMA also made a vague announcement about allowing developers to steer customers to payment service outside of apps, without referencing the kinds of restrictions, obstructions and junk fees that Apple introduced in Europe to make a mockery of the Digital Markets Act,” Epic added.
“Unless Apple and Google are completely blocked from imposing fees and discriminating against apps using out-of-app payment, we can expect years of malicious compliance ahead, and no genuine restoration of market competition.”
Epic compared this “bleak news from the United Kingdom” to the stronger pro-competition actions of other regions.
“We hope the CMA will use its consultation process to re-examine these weak roadmap decisions and bring the benefits of genuine app store and payments competition to British consumers,” it said.
Later this year, the Epic Games Store and Fortnite will arrive in Brazil and Japan.
Fortnite remains playable on PC and consoles, including Nintendo’s new Switch 2 console where it runs at 60fps and supports both game chat and mouse controls.
