Fortnite Returns to the US App Store After Five-Year Absence
After a lengthy legal battle with Apple, Epic Games’ popular battle royale game, Fortnite, has made its return to the U.S. App Store.
The announcement follows the game’s recent availability on the Epic Games Store and AltStore in the EU, as confirmed by Fortnite’s official X account (Source: X Post). Epic Games anticipates Fortnite to appear in App Store search results shortly.
Fortnite was initially removed from the App Store in 2020 after Epic Games introduced a direct payment option, bypassing Apple’s in-app purchase system and offering players a 20% discount. This led to Epic Games filing a lawsuit against Apple.
A judge ruled partially in Epic’s favor, stating that Apple was in “willful violation” of anticompetitive pricing rules. Subsequently, the judge mandated that Apple allow developers to collect payments outside the App Store without incurring fees (Source: TechCrunch).
Following the ruling, Epic Games resubmitted Fortnite to the App Store (Source: X Post). However, the approval process faced delays, with Epic Games accusing Apple of blocking the game’s release in both the U.S. and EU (Source: TechCrunch).
U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers intervened, directing Apple to approve Epic’s submission or provide a legal justification for the continued blockage (Source: TechCrunch), potentially influencing the outcome in Epic Games’ favor.
The returning version of Fortnite on the App Store includes a 20% cashback offer for players who make in-game purchases directly through Epic, circumventing Apple’s in-app purchase system.
