Fortnite back to Apple app store after ban lifted

After over four years of fighting, including in the courts, Epic Games’ Fortnite is back on Apple’s U.S. App Store.This would have bypassed a 30% commission that the technology giant charges on all in-app purchases.

Fortnite developer Epic Games and Apple have been locked in a prolonged legal battle over commissions on in-app purchases for nearly five years. A federal judge brutally chastised the iPhone maker last month for ignoring her injunction and continuing to engage in anticompetitive behavior. “This is a clear win for Epic Games. Epic has effectively forced open a door that Apple and others worked very hard to keep shut,” said Joost van Dreunen, a games business professor at NYU Stern. “The industry has long tiptoed around platform gatekeeping, but this moment signals a shift in the balance. Creators and publishers will now have more leverage to challenge entrenched distribution models,” he added.

“We asked that Epic Sweden resubmit the app update without including the U.S. storefront of the App Store so as not to impact Fortnite in other geographies,” an Apple spokesperson said in a statement. “We did not take any action to remove the live version of Fortnite from alternative distribution marketplaces.”

“Although Apple’s contracts may permit it to reject an app for lawful reasons, the Injunction provides that Apple may no longer reject an app—including Fortnite—because its developer chooses to include an external purchase link,” Epic noted at the time. “Likewise, if the Injunction is to have any teeth, Apple cannot reject an app on the ground that its developer has sought to enforce the Injunction’s prohibitions.”

Apple initially removed Fortnite from the App Store in 2020 after Epic Games tried to skirt paying commissions on in-app purchases by users, sparking a prolonged legal battle. Five years ago, Apple pulled Fortnite from the App Store hours after Epic Games had released an update allowing users to purchase “V-bucks,” Fortnite’s in-game currency, directly from the developer at a discount. The dispute has been playing out ever since.

Fortnite is hugely popular with around 400 million registered players.There are no warnings about Epic owing Apple money or charging more for in-app purchase. It seems the only incentive offered is a bonus 20% in Epic Rewards by choosing the external link.