Nearly 5 Years After Fortnite Was Blocked From iPhones in the U.S., Epic Boss Tim Sweeney Says It’s About to Come Back

Fortnite is set to make a triumphant return to the U.S. iOS App Store and iPhones next week, following a pivotal court ruling, according to Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney. 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, which mandated Apple to allow developers to offer alternative payment methods outside of their apps.

In a tweet, Sweeney extended a "peace proposal" to Apple, amidst years of legal battles. He stated, "If Apple extends the court's friction-free, Apple-tax-free framework worldwide, we'll return Fortnite to the App Store worldwide and drop current and future litigation on the topic."

Sweeney's ongoing legal skirmishes with Apple and Google over app store policies are well-documented. Epic has been fighting to bring Fortnite back to mobile devices without paying the customary 30% store fees, preferring instead to utilize its own Epic Games Store. This dispute led to Fortnite being removed from iOS back in 2020.

Now, nearly five years later, Fortnite is poised to make its comeback in the U.S. market.

In another tweet, Sweeney celebrated the court's decision, stating, "NO FEES on web transactions. Game over for the Apple Tax. Apple’s 15-30% junk fees are now just as dead here in the United States of America as they are in Europe under the Digital Markets Act. Unlawful here, unlawful there."

As a result of the ruling, Apple will be referred to federal prosecutors for violating the court order. U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers emphasized, "Apple’s continued attempts to interfere with competition will not be tolerated. This is an injunction, not a negotiation. There are no do-overs once a party willfully disregards a court order."

Judge Gonzalez Rogers also referred Apple and its vice president of finance, Alex Roman, to federal prosecutors for a criminal contempt investigation due to misleading testimony about Apple's compliance efforts.

Apple responded in a statement, expressing disagreement with the decision but committing to compliance while planning an appeal.

Despite multiple costly legal battles, Epic has achieved significant progress, particularly after its successes in Europe under the Digital Markets Act. In August last year, the Epic Games Store was launched on iPhones in the European Union and on Android devices worldwide, featuring games like Fortnite, Rocket League Sideswipe, and Fall Guys. However, bringing these games to mobile has been challenging, with "scare screens" deterring up to 50% of potential users, according to Epic.

Throughout these legal and financial battles, Epic has faced significant layoffs. In September 2023, 830 employees, or about 16% of its workforce, were let go from the North Carolina studio. Despite these setbacks, Sweeney affirmed in October last year that the company remained "financially sound," with both Fortnite and the Epic Games Store reaching new highs in "concurrency and success."