Apple has blocked Epic Games’ submission of Fortnite, just as it was set to return to iOS in the US. Now it cannot be found in the US App Store nor via the Epic Games Store for iOS in the European Union.
Epic has been locked in a legal battle with Apple since 2020, accusing the iGiant of illegally monopolizing iOS app distribution and payments. In 2020, Epic attempted to flog in-game virtual currency directly to Fortnite players, depriving Apple of its 30 percent cut. Apple responded by booting the game from its App Store and the dispute has rumbled on ever since.
The developer teased Fortnite’s return to iOS in the US last week, announcing that the game had been submitted to Apple for review, but yesterday Epic CEO Tim Sweeney revealed that there had been no word from Cupertino on the game’s status. Fortnite’s official X account then posted: “Now, sadly, Fortnite on iOS will be offline worldwide until Apple unblocks it.”
The Register asked Epic Games and Apple about the reasons for the block, but neither replied.
Fortnite returned to iOS in the EU last year because Europe’s Digital Markets Act (DMA) forced Apple to allow alternative app stores on its mobile devices. While getting the Epic Games Store up and running on iOS and Android was a convoluted process, Sweeney hailed it as “tangible progress for developers and consumers,” though, presciently, he also said: “The fight is far from over.”
Fortnite was resubmitted to the US App Store after a federal judge ruled that Apple’s practices violated an earlier injunction to allow alternatives to the company’s 30 percent App Store commission.
Apple had been instructed to let developers inform customers about alternative payment systems. However, according to the judge, the company “thwarted the injunction’s goals, and continued its anti-competitive conduct solely to maintain its revenue stream.”
The ruling opens the door to potential legal consequences for Apple, including criminal investigation.
As a result, Sweeney offered to drop “current and future litigation” over Apple’s alleged “tax” if the company extended the court’s friction-free framework worldwide. Apple’s response was to block Epic’s latest submission.
According to news reports, Apple is claiming it did not block Fortnite from “alternative distribution marketplaces” in Europe, but rather asked Epic Sweden to “resubmit the app update without including the US storefront of the App Store so as not to impact Fortnite in other geographies.”
Sweeney explained that the Fortnite app requires weekly updates, and the previous version had been pulled in favor of the latest. He said: “All platforms must update simultaneously.” ®
