The long-running battle between Apple and Epic Games has taken another dramatic turn, with Epic accusing Apple of terminating their developer account in a move they call a “blatant violation” of the European Union’s Digital Markets Act (DMA).

Just last month, Epic secured a developer account in Sweden, aiming to bring their popular game Fortnite back to iOS devices in Europe under the new regulations. However, in a surprising reversal, Apple has terminated the account, sparking outrage from Epic.

Epic claims Apple’s decision is a blatant disregard for the DMA, which aims to promote fair competition in the digital market. They allege that Apple is retaliating against them for speaking out against the tech giant’s practices, including public criticism of Apple’s proposed DMA compliance measures. Epic further argues that by shutting down their account, Apple is stifling competition and hindering consumer choice on the iOS platform.

Apple, however, maintains their legal right to terminate the account based on a previous court judgment from September 2021. This judgment stemmed from Epic’s earlier antitrust lawsuit against Apple, and it grants the tech giant the right to terminate their developer agreement with any of Epic’s subsidiaries “at any time and at Apple’s sole discretion.”

Apple highlights Epic’s past breaches of their agreements and public criticism as reasons for their decision. They argue that Epic’s behavior, including their recent characterization of Apple’s DMA compliance measures as “hot garbage” and “a devious new instance of Malicious Compliance,” raises concerns about their future adherence to the App Store’s guidelines. Apple claims they cannot trust Epic to comply with the rules and uphold the security and privacy of its users.

This latest development adds another chapter to the complex legal battle between Apple and Epic, with significant implications for the future of app distribution on iOS devices. Whether the DMA will ultimately have a bearing on this case remains to be seen, but the fight is far from over, with both companies likely to continue their legal battlegrounds in the courts and the court of public opinion.