Epic Vs. Apple: Fortnite Returns to the US App Store After Five Years

Epic vs. Apple: Fortnite is back in the US App Store after five years

Bild: Epic Games

Fortnite is back in the App Store after nearly five years of protracted legal disputes. Apple has been forced to change its practice regarding out-of-app purchases. iPhone and iPad users in the US can now access the game again. There are other stores in the EU.

Summary :

A Neverending Story

Epic’s return to the App Store has communicated on Fortnite’s own X account. In contrast, Fortnite is offered in the EU via the Epic Games store and the Altstore for iOS.

Apple, after a year-long legal dispute in early May, was asked by a California court to change the previous practice in the App Store, whereby fees were collected for out-of-app purchases. Additionally, Judge Yvonne Gonzales Rogers complained of “willful” disregard for a previous ruling from May 2021. Epic then announced that it wanted to provide an alternative payment system for developers.

Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney later stated in an interview that the Apple ruling would have cost the company approximately US$1 billion.

Apple Resisted

However, if it had assumed that Fortnite would be available directly on iOS and iPadOS, Apple had not. Despite the court order, the release continued to be delayed, leading Sweeney to speculate that Apple’s app review team had been instructed not to release Fortnite for publication, even though according to the guidelines, it should have been re-released. Epic then re-ruled the court order to force its release.

Apple once again claimed Epic had filed the US version of the game via a European account, although the US developer account had always been closed because, according to Apple’s view, Epic violated contractual provisions in 2020. This lock is strongly held by Apple, since all previous court rulings in this context in favor of Apple have failed.

Only a short-lived return?

Now, there has been a surprising movement in the matter, as since Tuesday evening, the game has been available again in the US on the App Store. The Washington Post even describes Fortnite’s return as a “profit for fans of the game and a symbolic and financial boost for Apple.” But the legal tug-of-war shouldn’t end there: both Apple and Google, against which Epic is suing in a similar case regarding Play Store fees, have appealed the rulings. Apple, if the court also requested a stay of the settlement against the company, as it would add “serious and unresolved damages” to its own business while the appeals process continues.

Other providers also affected

If the court had followed this request, Fortnite’s return to the App Store would have been a short-lived guest performance. However, the ruling affects not only Epic, but also other providers such as Spotify or Patreon, who also benefit from the new regulations, as they can now offer alternative payment options without Apple having to pay taxes.

The ruling is only valid in the United States.

The judgment described and Fortnite’s return only affect Fortnite’s release in the US App Store. Fortnite is also not currently available in the App Store in Europe, although the game was released for the EU market in August 2024. The context was that Apple, due to the requirements of the EU Digital Markets Act (DMA), had to change its specifications here as well.

Topics: App Store
Apple
Epic Games Fortnite Gaming Apps Source: Fortnite (x)