Update: Just two days after suspending Epic Games' iOS developer accounts, Apple has reversed course and announced it will reinstate the accounts.

"Apple has told us and promised the European Commission that they will reinstate our developer accounts," Epic said.

"This sends a strong signal to developers that the European Commission will act quickly to enforce the Digital Markets Act and hold gatekeepers accountable. We are moving forward on schedule to launch the Epic Games Store and bring Fortnite back to iOS in Europe."

Epic CEO Tim Sweeney said the reversal represents "a major victory for the rule of law in Europe, the European Commission, and developers' freedom of speech around the world."

If you thought the legal battle between Epic and Apple was over, it's time to reconsider; Epic announced today that less than a month after approving developer accounts on the App Store, Apple has terminated them.

Epic said the termination of developer accounts is a "serious violation" of the European Union's Digital Markets Act, which forces Apple and other companies to allow third-party storefronts on their devices. Making these storefronts available is something Apple has resisted for years, and even when it announced its intention to comply with the DMA, Apple said it would "introduce new safeguards that reduce (but do not eliminate) the new risks that the DMA poses to EU users, We have done our best to make sure that everything is a net negative.

Still, it looked like a done deal, and Epic announced on February 16 that "we are providing more opportunities for developers across all platforms and are very excited about the future, including bringing the Epic Games Store to iOS in Europe," in a winning He tweeted. On February 16, "We are excited about the upcoming developments, including bringing the Epic Games Store to iOS in Europe," Epic said.

Oh, but no. 'To our surprise, Apple has suspended that account and no longer allows us to develop the Epic Games Store for iOS. This is a serious violation of the DMA and shows that Apple has no intention of allowing true competition on iOS devices."

"By terminating Epic's developer account, Apple is attempting to eliminate one of its largest potential competitors for the Apple App Store. And it is showing other developers what happens when they try to compete with Apple or are critical of Apple's unfair practices.

But what is really interesting about this case is Apple's justification for removing Epic's developer account. Basically, Apple does not trust that Epic will not come after them in the future, and that position is justified by the "numerous public attacks on Apple's policies, compliance plans, and business model" that Epic CEO Tim Sweeney has issued on social media The company states that it is justified "by a number of public attacks on Apple's policies, compliance plans, and business model. As "just one example" of evidence, he cites this tweet from February:

"Your colorful criticism of our DMA compliance plan, coupled with Epic's past practice of intentionally violating contractual provisions with which Epic disagrees, is a clear indication that Epic Sweden has no intention of following the rules. strongly suggests that Epic Sweden has no intention of abiding by the rules," Apple's Phil Schiller wrote in a February 23 e-mail to Tim Sweeney, which was shared in a blog post by Epic.

"And an intentional breach could threaten not only the security of the iOS platform, but also the security and privacy of its users.

However, Apple's recommendation apparently did not persuade Sweeney.

I'm not a lawyer, but it all seems very strange and frankly schoolyard to me. Tim Sweeney has said some nasty things about Apple. Yes, Epic was unhappy with the terms of the App Store, so did they strategically pick a fight with Apple? I don't think it's unfair to say that Sweeney has been a headache for Apple for at least the last few years. But in my eyes, that pales in comparison to the European Union's clear declaration of "hey, we have to let them do this". "

The only possible basis for Apple's move, and I'm no lawyer here either, is that the EU said Apple must allow third-party storefronts on iOS devices, but not that it must provide developer accounts. That being said, as someone who has fond memories of getting into trouble with my sister when I was 12, I have to admire such a technical rule workaround, if it is true. But watching grown men and women, billionaires, pour and spit a lot of money over who gets to play in the sandbox makes it all seem a little ridiculous. And by "a little" I mean "a lot. In the real world, my father would have yelled at both of us by now and all would be well.

Obviously, not so in this catfight: both Apple and Epic have shown not the slightest willingness to compromise (or even to restrain their rhetoric) in the dispute, and thanks to their virtually unlimited funds (although Epic is showing signs of strain on that front), they are insulated from the actual impact insulated from the real impact, one can expect this seemingly over fight to continue for a long time yet.