Epic Games is planning to pay the Apple fees that EU developers incur when distributing their apps through the Epic Games Store, Epic CEO Tim Sweeney told The Verge today.
Epic Games added almost 20 third-party games to its app store on iOS devices in the European Union, where alternate app stores are allowed to operate. Epic also debuted its free games program, and the company says it will pay the Core Technology Fees for iOS developers in the EU who offer their apps for free on the Epic Games Store.
Developers who bring their apps to the Epic Games Store can get their Core Technology Fee (CTF) paid for one year. The CTF is a 0.50 euro fee that developers must pay for every app install, and that fee applies to apps regardless of how they are monetized. It is worth noting that Apple offers CTF exceptions for small developers that include no CTF for a three-year period if the developer is earning under 10 million euros, plus developers that have under a million annual app installs do not pay fees to begin with. Apple also does not charge a fee for developers with a no revenue business that offer apps without monetization.
Sweeney has criticized Apple's Core Technology Fee and app distribution guidelines many times, and he told The Verge today that the CTF is "ruinous for any hopes of a competing store getting a foothold." He further said that it is "not financially viable" for Epic Games to pay Apple's fees longterm, but it plans to do so while it waits to see if the European Union requires Apple to further tweak its rules for third-party marketplaces under the Digital Markets Act.
Epic Games claims that its mobile store can't attract developers because of the fees that Apple charges, with "scare screens" also driving away customers in the EU. "We won't really have app store freedom, even in Europe, and actual user choice and competition, unless the DMA is robustly enforced," Sweeney said.
The Epic Games Store for iOS is only available in the European Union right now because alternative app stores and distribution methods are not allowed in other countries.
