New EU law came into force in March, which means that Apple has to allow alternative app stores on its devices.
However, those laws do not exist in other parts of the world, where apps can only be downloaded from Apple’s official App Store.
“Fortnite has been freed on iOS in Europe, thanks to the Digital Markets Act”, Epic boss Tim Sweeney said on X, external.
“Apple continues to block Fortnite from a billion players in the rest of the world, and the battle rages on to restore free market competition.”
Apple says this is mainly for security reasons.
However, Epic argues that it means Apple has a monopoly and can charge high rates – up to 30% commission on purchases – to app developers.
A similar commission is charged by Google when apps are downloaded through its Google Play store.
However, Google does allow alternative app stores on its Android devices.
Fortnite is free to play, but makes money by charging players for in-game purchases for items such as new skins or weapons.
It was removed from Apple and Google’s app stores in 2020 after Epic Games stopped paying the commission.
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