The ongoing battle between Epic Games and Apple over Fortnite's presence on iOS devices has escalated once again. Epic has accused Apple of blocking its Fortnite submission, preventing the game from being released on the U.S. App Store. This comes after Epic's CEO, Tim Sweeney, confidently stated earlier this month that Fortnite would return to the U.S. iOS App Store and iPhones shortly following a significant court ruling.
On April 30, a U.S. Federal District Court in California ruled that Apple had willfully violated a court order in the Epic Games v. Apple case. The order required Apple to allow developers to offer alternative payment methods outside their apps, a ruling that was meant to foster competition and give developers more control over their revenue streams.
In January, IGN reported on Sweeney's costly battle against Apple and Google, highlighting his determination to challenge the app store giants. Sweeney has invested billions in this fight, viewing it as a crucial long-term investment for Epic and Fortnite's future. He believes Epic can sustain this battle for decades if necessary.
The core of the dispute lies in Epic's refusal to pay the standard 30% store fees on mobile game revenue. Instead, Epic aims to distribute Fortnite through its own Epic Games Store on mobile devices, bypassing Apple and Google's fees. This disagreement led to Fortnite being blocked from iOS back in 2020.
Despite Sweeney's recent tweet suggesting Fortnite's imminent return to iOS, the game remains unavailable. Epic has now confirmed to IGN that "Apple has blocked our Fortnite submission so we cannot release to the US App Store or to the Epic Games Store for iOS in the European Union. Now, sadly, Fortnite on iOS will be offline worldwide until Apple unblocks it."
This situation is dire for Epic, which has lost billions in revenue since Fortnite was removed from iPhones five years ago. In a direct appeal to Apple's CEO, Tim Sweeney tweeted, "Hi Tim. How about if you let our mutual customers access Fortnite? Just a thought."
Hi Tim. How about if you let our mutual customers access Fortnite? Just a thought.
— Tim Sweeney (@TimSweeneyEpic) May 15, 2025
Following the court's decision, Apple was referred to federal prosecutors for violating the U.S. court order. U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers emphasized that "Apple’s continued attempts to interfere with competition will not be tolerated," and stated that the ruling was an injunction, not a negotiation. She also referred Apple and its vice president of finance, Alex Roman, to federal prosecutors for a criminal contempt investigation, citing misleading testimony about compliance with her injunction.
In response, Apple issued a statement disagreeing with the decision but promising compliance and an appeal. Last week, Apple requested the U.S. appeals court to pause the ruling in the Epic Games case, indicating their ongoing resistance to the court's orders.
