Epic Games today criticized the focus of measures that the UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) is considering implementing against Apple and Google, claiming that it might not be able to bring Fortnite back to the iOS App Store in the UK.
The CMA said that it will designate Apple and Google with "strategic market status" under new digital competition laws, giving the CMA the ability to direct how the App Store and Play Store are run. The CMA is focusing on Apple's anti-steering rules and app review processes rather than forcing Apple to support sideloading through alternative app stores, which is what Epic Games takes issue with.
Epic Games says that it won't be able to bring the Epic Games Store to iOS in the UK this year, and Fortnite's return to iOS in the UK is "now uncertain" because the CMA is not prioritizing opening the mobile ecosystem to alternative app 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.
Epic Games also claims that any anti-steering rules will see "years of malicious compliance" from Apple, suggesting that Apple used "restrictions, obstructions, and junk fees" in Europe to "make a mockery of the Digital Markets Act." Apple and Google must be "completely blocked from imposing fees and discriminating against apps using out-of-app payment," reads Epic's blog post.
The CMA does not plan to consider store competition until sometime in 2026, which Epic Games says is "bleak news."
