No App Store Approval: Apple‘s Fortnite from Epic Games Blocked on iOS 26 comments
Picture: Epic Games
Apple: Following the legal dispute with Epic Games, the popular game continues to be free on the App Store, thus blocking it for iOS. After Apple recently lost in court in the dispute over external purchases, Epic CEO Tim Sweeney was confident the game would find its way back to the App Store.
Rejected Release in the US and EU
Fortnite was removed from the App Store for iOS in 2020 after Epic Games allowed the purchase of items from the Apple ecosystem, through which Apple was no longer involved in these purchases via a 30% commission. A legal dispute ensued, which Apple finally lost recently, also because Apple’s VP of Finance allegedly made false statements. The US judge’s ruling allowed app providers to now offer out-of-app purchases, for which Apple no longer has to pay a commission. Epic immediately built a corresponding workshop system and resubmitted Fortnite for publication in the App Store. However, the publisher has now announced that it will re-release the game via its Fortnite account on Apple.
Tim Sweeney, CEO of Epic Games, previously complained to Apple about the unusually long release. He suspects that the app review team received instructions from Apple’s management not to release Fortnite, even though it should have done so based on the guidelines. Sweeney sees one of the liberations from Apple’s approval as a “weapon” that abuses independent competition, the rule of law, and freedom of expression.
Fortnite is currently not available on the App Store in Europe, even though the game was released for the EU market in August 2024. The context at the time was that Apple had to loosen its specifications due to the requirements of the EU’s Digital Markets Act (DMA).
Topics: Apple
Epic Games Fortnite Gaming iOS What: Epic Games
A lifelong video game enthusiast, Julien reviews the latest releases and explores the technologies transforming the gaming world.
