Epic CEO slams Apple’s “junk fees” as Fortnite stays off iOS in Japan despite new App Store rules
Epic Games has delivered some unfortunate news about Fortnite’s iOS port in Japan. The popular battle royale game won’t be returning to iOS devices or the App Store in Japan. This comes in after Japan enacted a new law, the Mobile Software Competition Act, which requires Apple to allow third-party app stores on iPhones to bolster competition.
Epic CEO Tim Sweeney jumped on X to blast Apple and said that the company has rolled out “another travesty of obstruction and lawbreaking in gross disrespect to the government and people of Japan.”
Apple and Epic Games haven’t been on the best of terms for years. The long-running feud kicked off by Epic's dismissal of Apple’s 30% cut on in-app purchases. Due to the issue, Apple removed Fortnite from the App Store in 2020.
However, Fortnite returned on iOS in the EU via third-party stores and the official App Store in the US following court wins. It seemed that Fortnite would return to the iOS in Japan until Apple responded to the new regulations.
Apple, at least on paper, opened iOS to competing app stores on iPhones, but not on iPads. However, Sweeney pointed out that “They’re charging a competition-crushing 21% junk fee on third-party in-app payments, and 15% for purchases made on the web.”
This is a move that has already been “found to be illegal in the contempt of court proceeding that Apple lost, and the 9th Circuit Court upheld.” From Epic’s perspective, things seem to be getting worse, as Apple is taking a 5% cut on all apps sold through competitor stores. Furthermore, developers are supposed to use a “mandatory reporting API” that monitors every transaction and reports it back to Apple.
On top of this, users are met with cautionary warnings when trying alternative stores, in an attempt to instill fear about privacy and security. Sweeney vowed to take the fight to Japan’s Fair Trade Commission and said, “Obviously, real competition won’t happen, and consumers won’t benefit, when Apple abuses its position between users and competitors to obstruct honest dealing between them.”
Apple, on the other hand, presents these measures as a way to safeguard user privacy and child safety, and states that the fees cover the cost of payment processing technology.
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