The UK has recently passed a bill that could significantly impact the mobile gaming industry. This new legislation might force Apple to allow the sideloading of non-App Store apps, including popular games like Fortnite and new app stores, on UK-owned iOS devices.
Legislative Changes
The Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers (DMCC) Bill was introduced in April 2023. Its aim is to regulate competition in digital markets. With the upcoming General Election on July 4, Parliament will be dissolved on May 30. During this “wash-up period,” the Government and opposition work together to rush through remaining bills. The DMCC Bill was one of these and has now been passed by Parliament, according to the Press Gazette (thanks VGC).
Impact on Gaming Industry
The passage of this bill is good news for companies like Epic Games, who have been fighting for the right to add their apps and app stores to iOS devices. Parts of the UK Bill are similar to the EU’s Digital Markets Act (DMA), which forced companies like Apple to allow users to sideload third-party apps and app stores on their iOS devices.
Epic Games announced in January that Fortnite would return to iOS devices in the EU via a new Epic Games Store app, thanks to the DMA. The passing of the DMCC Bill in the UK means that Epic could potentially do the same in the UK, giving iOS users access to Fortnite once again.
Epic CEO Tim Sweeney celebrated the news by retweeting a post from Open Web Advocacy. The post stated, “The UK Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Bill has been passed by Parliament. This gives the UK regulator the tools they need to fight anti-competitive conduct from the gatekeepers. Thanks to all those that made it happen.”
