According to AppleInsider, Apple announced on December 17 that it will introduce support for third-party app stores and payment processors to iPhones in Japan, aligning with changes made earlier in the European Union. The rule changes mean developers can choose how to accept payments and distribute apps outside the official App Store starting in 2025. However, Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney immediately complained on social media, calling Apple’s new 5% fee on all revenue from apps distributed by competing stores a “junk fee.” He also criticized a mandatory reporting API Apple intends to use. Sweeney stated that because of these fees, Fortnite will not return to iOS in Japan next year as Epic had previously promised.
Sweeney’s point and Apple’s play
Look, Sweeney is ranting again. That’s his brand. But here’s the thing: he’s not entirely wrong this time. Apple’s move does look a lot like what the industry calls “malicious compliance.” They’re technically following new rules by opening the platform, but then they’re adding a new 5% tax on transactions they have no direct hand in. It’s a bit like a mall owner, forced to allow a competing mini-mall to be built in the parking lot, then charging every store inside that new mini-mall rent. The whole point of opening things up was to foster competition and lower costs, right? So this 5% fee feels like a workaround to maintain revenue. And Sweeney’s right that U.S. courts have already pushed back on similar Apple tactics.
The Epic hypocrisy problem
But it’s really, really hard to take Tim Sweeney as a white knight for developers. Let’s not forget how we got here. Epic Games willfully violated its App Store contract to provoke this very lawsuit. They’re not some scrappy indie dev; they’re a multi-billion dollar company with their own app store and a 12% fee on PC. Sweeney’s fight isn’t for the little guy. It’s for Epic’s bottom line. He’s looking out for Epic’s ability to make more money, full stop. So when he posts on X about Apple’s “egregious” impositions, there’s a massive credibility gap. We’re basically watching two tech titans argue over who gets to skim a bigger percentage.
What this means for everyone else
So where does this leave actual developers and users? Stuck in the middle, as usual. For smaller devs, the calculus is brutal. Do you stay in Apple’s App Store and pay the higher commission (15-30%) but get access to a massive, secure ecosystem? Or do you jump to a third-party store, deal with its fees, and still pay Apple’s new 5% “core technology fee”? The overhead and complexity might just make it not worth it. For users in Japan, you’ll get more choice in theory. But in practice, major apps like Fortnite might still stay away if the economics don’t work. The promise of a truly open iPhone marketplace keeps getting watered down by fees and friction. And that’s probably exactly what Apple wants.
