In a post on X (formerly Twitter) early Friday, Fortnite stated, "Apple has blocked our Apple Blocks Fortnite's iOS Return Globally Amid Renewed Legal Spat submission so we cannot release to the U.S. App Store or to the Epic Games Store for iOS in the European Union." The company further asserted that Apple's action would now prevent the game's iOS availability across the globe, declaring, "Sadly, Fortnite on iOS will be offline worldwide until Apple unblocks it."
Apple, in a statement provided to The Associated Press, offered a different perspective. The tech giant stated that it had specifically requested Epic Sweden to resubmit the app update "without including the U.S. storefront of the App Store so as not to impact Fortnite in other geographies." Apple added that it "did not take any action to remove the live version of Fortnite from alternative distribution marketplaces."
This latest development marks another chapter in the ongoing and often acrimonious dispute between Apple and Epic Games. The feud ignited in 2020 when Epic Games initiated an antitrust lawsuit against Apple in the U.S., accusing the technology leader of abusing its market power to unfairly profit from game developers.
Following a month-long trial in 2021, U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers largely ruled in favor of Apple. However, she did mandate that Apple must allow developers in the U.S. to include links to alternative payment options within their apps, a move that threatened to undermine the substantial commissions Apple had been collecting on in-app transactions for over a decade.
After an unsuccessful appeal that reached the U.S. Supreme Court, Apple introduced a new system last year. This system permitted links to alternative payment methods while still imposing a 27% commission on in-app purchases made outside of Apple's own payment system.
Epic Games responded by accusing Apple of disregarding the legal system, leading to another round of court hearings that spanned nearly a year. Last month, Judge Gonzalez Rogers delivered a sharp rebuke, holding Apple in civil contempt and prohibiting the company from collecting any commission on alternative payment systems.
This ruling was seen as clearing the path for Epic Games to finally bring Fortnite back to the iPhone App Store in the U.S., a reinstatement the game developer was anticipating before Apple's recent actions.
Meanwhile, Fortnite's return in the European Union was planned through an alternative app store for iPhone users, now known as the Epic Games Store. Apple had cleared the way for such alternative marketplaces last year in response to new regulatory pressures in the region.