Apple Under Scrutiny From DOJ Over Uneven Enforcement Of Rules For App Developers Like Roblox: Report

The U.S. Department of Justice is focusing on Apple Inc.’s AAPL treatment of gaming firm Roblox Corp. RBLX as part of its investigation of the tech giant for antitrust issues, according to a report by the Information (via Reuters.)

What Happened: Prosecutors are looking for instances where Apple has unevenly enforced rules for app developers in ways that could hurt the Cupertino-based tech giant’s potential rivals, as per the report.

Apple’s “hands-off” approach with Roblox, which is in sharp contrast to how it dealt with other gaming app developers, is said to be one of the focuses of the probe.

During the antitrust trial between Apple and Epic Games in May, the “Fortnite” videogame developer had reportedly argued that Apple had given a “free pass” to Roblox, whose app enables people to pick from a selection of games to play.

Following this, Roblox is said to have removed reference to the word “game” and changed it to “experiences.”

The DOJ has asked Roblox to explain why it made the language change and also asked other game developers whether the launch of the Apple Arcade game store has made it difficult for them to compete with the Tim Cook-led company, as per the report.

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Why It Matters: The DOJ accelerated its antitrust probe into Apple in October, increasing the likelihood of a lawsuit against the tech giant.

Apple has been facing several allegations surrounding its app store policies.

Last month, Apple failed to stay orders handed in an antitrust case involving Epic Games. The case arose after Epic tried to circumvent Apple’s in-app commission by providing alternative payment mechanisms, which led to Fortnite’s ejection from the App Store.

Price Action: Apple shares closed almost 2.2% higher in Monday’s regular trading session at $165.32, but fell almost 0.2% in the after-hours session to $165.05.

Roblox shares closed almost 0.5% lower in the regular trading session at $113.25, but rose 2.8% in the after-hours session to $116.44.

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