Epic Games' ongoing dispute with Apple over Fortnite's availability on iOS devices has escalated, with Epic alleging that Apple is preventing the game's return to the U.S. App Store. This follows a significant court ruling on April 30, where a U.S. Federal District Court in California determined that Apple had deliberately violated a court order in the Epic Games v. Apple lawsuit. The order required Apple to allow developers to offer alternative payment methods outside their apps.
Epic's CEO, Tim Sweeney, remains steadfast in his mission to challenge Apple and Google's app store policies, vowing to continue the fight for the long-term benefit of Epic and Fortnite. Earlier this year, IGN highlighted Sweeney's commitment, noting his willingness to invest billions over decades to achieve this goal.
The core of the dispute revolves around Epic's refusal to pay the customary 30% store fees on mobile game revenue, preferring instead to operate Fortnite through its own Epic Games Store without interference from Apple or Google. This disagreement led to Fortnite's removal from iOS platforms back in 2020.
Despite Sweeney's recent announcement that Fortnite would soon return to iOS devices, the game remains unavailable. Epic has now stated 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 seen a significant revenue loss since Fortnite was removed from iPhones five years ago. In a direct appeal, Sweeney tweeted to Apple's CEO, Tim Cook, saying, "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 court order. U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers emphasized, "Apple’s continued attempts to interfere with competition will not be tolerated," and warned that "This is an injunction, not a negotiation. There are no do-overs once a party willfully disregards a court order."
The judge also referred Apple and its Vice President of Finance, Alex Roman, to federal prosecutors for a criminal contempt investigation, citing misleading testimony about Apple's compliance with the injunction. In response, Apple stated its disagreement with the ruling but affirmed it would comply while appealing the decision. Last week, Apple sought a pause on the ruling from the U.S. appeals court.
