Epic Games has unveiled substantial updates for its digital storefront, directly responding to a court decision that sharply rebuked Apple’s handling of external payment links. Starting in June 2025, the Epic Games Store (EGS) will implement a new revenue model offering developers a 0% fee on the first $1 million earned annually per app, alongside introducing “webshops” designed to bypass traditional in-app purchase commissions.
The announcement landed less than 24 hours after a US federal judge found Apple had violated a court order concerning its App Store rules.
The updated EGS terms mean developers processing payments through the store will retain all revenue up to the $1 million yearly threshold for each application. Once that limit is exceeded, Epic’s established 88% / 12% developer/store revenue split takes effect. This zero-percent introductory tier presents a stark contrast to the 15% rate offered by Apple and Google to developers in their respective small business programs earning under $1 million.
Epic Introduces Webshops as In-App Purchase Alternative
Launching alongside the new fee structure in June 2025 are EGS-hosted webshops. Epic positions these as a tool for developers “to launch their own webshops hosted by the Epic Games Store,” offering players what Epic calls “a more cost-effective alternative to in-app purchases, where Apple, Google, and others charge exorbitant fees.”
These webshops essentially allow developers to sell digital goods directly to players via the web, bypassing the standard in-app payment systems and associated fees on mobile platforms. To encourage player adoption, Epic confirmed it will fund a 5% Epic Rewards kickback on all purchases made through these webshops, applicable to future EGS transactions.
Epic highlighted that developers can point users to these webshops from within their games on platforms that permit it, specifically naming iOS in the EU and US, attributing this capability to “new legal rulings.”
The timing directly follows the April 30th ruling by Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers in the long-running Epic Games v. Apple case. The judge determined Apple had violated a 2021 anti-steering injunction stemming from California’s Unfair Competition Law, which was intended to prevent Apple from restricting developers’ ability to inform users about alternative payment options outside the App Store. Anti-steering rules generally refer to policies that platform owners impose to prevent developers from directing users to payment methods outside the platform’s own system.
Ruling Paves Way for External Payments
Judge Rogers found Apple intentionally disregarded the court’s previous order. In her ruling, she stated Apple’s compliance arguments, which involved allowing only a single external link and attempting to impose a new commission, “strain credulity.”
The judge determined Apple acted “with the express intent to create new anticompetitive barriers.” The ruling now explicitly forbids Apple from levying any commission or fee on purchases consumers make through external links provided by developers and prevents Apple from restricting how developers display or communicate these links.
Apple Faces Contempt Probe After Judge’s Rebuke
Judge Rogers’s dissatisfaction with Apple’s conduct was further emphasized by an unusual referral of the matter to the US Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of California for a potential criminal contempt investigation.
Legal analysts suggest such referrals are rare in antitrust matters and underscore the severity of the judge’s findings. The ruling also contained a harsh assessment of testimony from Apple finance VP Alex Roman, which the judge found “not credible” and “replete with misdirection and outright lies under oath.”
Apple maintains its disagreement with the court’s findings. “We strongly disagree with the decision. We will comply with the court’s order and we will appeal,” an Apple spokesperson stated. The company formally filed its notice of appeal late on May 1st. This US legal setback mirrors Apple’s recent troubles in Europe, where it was fined €500 million on April 23rd under the Digital Markets Act (DMA) for similar anti-steering violations.
Fortnite’s Return and Industry Reactions
In the wake of the ruling, Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney extended what was termed a “peace proposal,” suggesting Epic would bring Fortnite back globally and halt related lawsuits if Apple were to apply the court’s “friction-free, Apple-tax-free framework worldwide.”
While Epic’s 0% tier offers a clear financial incentive, some developers expressed cautious optimism to Bloomberg, noting that achieving visibility on the EGS compared to the established reach of Apple’s App Store remains a challenge that could potentially counteract the fee savings.
Epic’s move builds on its previous efforts, particularly in the EU, where it launched a mobile store earlier this year while criticizing Apple’s Core Technology Fee (CTF) as a barrier, even temporarily covering the fee for some developers. The new EGS terms represent a more structured and potentially durable strategy in its ongoing challenge to established app store models.
