Apple escalates Legal Dispute with Epic Games’ by TERMINATING Developer Account

Apple has apparently escalated its legal dispute with Epic Games by terminating the developer account for the makers of Fortnite, preventing the company from releasing Fortnite and a third-party app store in Europe.

This move comes amid a continuous legal battle between the two tech giants.

In response to Apple's termination of its developer account, Epic Games expressed surprise and dismay via a blog post on Wednesday, stating that Apple's actions violate the Digital Marketing Act (DMA) and hinder competition on iOS devices.

Epic Games accused Apple of undermining their ability to be a viable competitor and retaliating against them for publicly criticizing Apple's practices.

According to Epic Games, Apple cited public criticism of its proposed DMA compliance plan as one of the reasons for terminating the developer account citing this X post from this thread written by Tim Sweeney.

Epic Games condemned Apple's actions as unjustified and claimed that Apple was using the excuse of protecting its ecosystem to stifle competition.

In a letter shared by Epic Games, Apple accused the company of being "verifiably untrustworthy" and allegedly not complying with contractual commitments under Apple’s developer licensing agreement.

Apple cited its contractual right to terminate the agreement at its sole discretion, deeming Epic Games' response to be insufficient and not credible.

Epic Games condemned Apple's move, stating that it violated the DMA, which requires Apple to allow third-party app stores on iOS devices in Europe.

By preventing Epic Games from releasing its Epic Games Store, Apple is accused of eliminating a significant competitor and seemingly sending a message to other developers about the consequences of challenging Apple's practices.