What simply occurred? After being lacking for nearly 5 years, Fortnite is again on the iOS retailer within the US. The 1,740 days because it was eliminated have seen Apple and Epic Video games battle issues out within the courts, however now it has lastly returned to Apple’s App Retailer within the US, in addition to the Epic Video games Retailer and AltStore within the European Union.
Fortnite is now searchable and downloadable on iOS within the US, which means iPhone and iPad house owners can as soon as once more benefit from the battle royale big on their gadgets. Unsurprisingly, Fortnite has already taken the highest spot within the retailer’s Motion Video games class.
we again fam https://t.co/X14bCXoylB
– Tim Sweeney (@TimSweeneyEpic) Might 20, 2025
There’s been loads occurring within the Epic vs. Apple drama in latest instances. As a reminder, Fortnite was faraway from the App Retailer in 2020 after it launched a direct cost methodology within the sport that circumvented Apple’s App Retailer fee. It was additionally faraway from the Google Play Retailer for a similar motive.
Due to everybody who supported the trouble to open up cellular competitors and #FreeFortnite from the very starting. And because of all the of us who initially sided with Apple then later got here round to the successful facet, supporting app developer rights and shopper rights. https://t.co/Mw7kE7byLp
– Tim Sweeney (@TimSweeneyEpic) Might 20, 2025
However Apple was not too long ago ordered by a federal choose to halt practices which have restricted competitors and maintained excessive commissions on app gross sales. The latter was a reference to the 30% fee Apple takes on purchases that customers make in iOS apps.
The ruling paved the way in which for Fortnite to return to the iOS App Retailer within the US and globally. Epic Video games CEO Tim Sweeney posted that it could occur firstly of the month – the corporate’s Sweden developer account submitted the sport to the US App Retailer on Might 9.
However Fortnite by no means returned. Final week, the sport’s official account mentioned in an X put up that Apple had blocked its Fortnite submission so it couldn’t be launched to the US App Retailer or to the Epic Video games Retailer for iOS within the European Union. It added that Fortnite on iOS can be offline worldwide till Apple unblocked it.
Apple’s response was that it had “requested that Epic Sweden resubmit the app replace with out together with the US storefront of the App Retailer in order to not influence Fortnite in different geographies” and that “we didn’t take any motion to take away the reside model of Fortnite from various distribution marketplaces.”
On Might 16, Epic requested the District Choose in its case in opposition to Apple, Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers, to evaluate Epic’s submission of Fortnite to the US App Retailer in a brand new courtroom submitting. Epic argued that, not for the primary time, Apple was in contempt of courtroom by ignoring the sooner ruling – Apple and its vp of finance, Alex Roman, have been referred to federal prosecutors for a prison contempt investigation.
– Tim Sweeney (@TimSweeneyEpic) Might 19, 2025
The choose’s response was for Apple to resolve the matter by itself or for the Apple official who “is personally answerable for guaranteeing compliance” to seem at a listening to subsequent week.
In a joint discover (posted by The Verge), Epic and Apple mentioned they’ve “resolved all points” from the submitting associated to the submission, permitting Fortnite to lastly return to iOS in america.
In different Fortnite information, actors union SAG-AFTRA has filed an unfair labor observe cost in opposition to Llama Productions, a subsidiary of Epic Video games, over using AI to recreate the voice of the late James Earl Jones for Darth Vader within the sport.
