Fortnite fans in the UK hoping for a big iOS comeback this year might want to hold off on the celebrations. Epic Games just slammed UK regulators over their approach to Apple, and it sounds like the battle between the two tech giants is far from over, especially on British soil.
The UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) announced this week that it will officially label Apple and Google as having “strategic market status” under new digital competition laws. This move gives the CMA the power to regulate how the App Store and Play Store operate. That sounds like progress, but according to Epic, it’s the wrong kind of progress.
Epic says the CMA is missing the point
The CMA appears to be zeroing in on Apple’s anti-steering rules and app review practices, the kind of stuff that affects how developers can guide users toward alternative payment options or in-app promotions. But that’s not what Epic really cares about.
Epic’s bigger goal is to bring the Epic Games Store, and Fortnite, back to iOS through alternative app stores. And based on what the CMA has laid out, that’s not happening any time soon.
“Fortnite’s return to iOS in the UK is now uncertain,” Epic says, blaming the CMA’s decision not to prioritize alternative app store access. The company added that it won’t be able to launch the Epic Games Store on iOS in the UK this year.
In short, Epic feels like regulators are trying to patch the system without fixing what it believes is the core issue, Apple’s control over the iOS ecosystem.
Epic wants real competition, not half measures
“A free market requires multiple stores competing to offer consumers the best prices and services,” Epic argues in a new blog post. “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’s frustration is pretty clear. Without competition, Apple continues to dictate the terms and Epic doesn’t trust them to play fair, even when forced to change. The company warned that even if the CMA cracks down on anti-steering rules, we should expect “years of malicious compliance” from Apple.
Epic claims Apple has already shown this playbook in Europe, saying the company used “restrictions, obstructions, and junk fees” to “make a mockery of the Digital Markets Act.”
No change until 2026?
Possibly the most frustrating part for Epic and for anyone who wants a more open iOS in the UK is the CMA’s timeline. The authority won’t even consider app store competition rules until sometime in 2026.
“Bleak news,” says Epic. And for UK-based Fortnite fans, that might be an understatement.
So, what does this all mean right now? Fortnite’s future on iOS in the UK is once again in limbo, and Epic isn’t backing down. If the CMA sticks to its current priorities, it could be years before we see any real changes, and that means years before Fortnite, or any competing app store, gets a fair shot on iPhones in the UK.
