Fortnite, the widely popular battle royale game developed by Epic Games, has returned to Apple’s U.S. App Store after a legal battle lasting several years.
Epic Games announced on Tuesday that the game is also now available for European players through both the Epic Games Store and AltStore, with App Store search availability expected imminently.
The initial removal occurred back in 2020 when Apple took Fortnite off the App Store after Epic introduced a system letting players make in-game purchases directly through its own payment service, bypassing Apple’s mandated commission. Epic subsequently filed a lawsuit against Apple, accusing the tech giant of anticompetitive behavior.
Earlier this year, a judgment favored Epic, concluding that Apple had indeed engaged in a “willful violation” of rules aimed at preventing anticompetitive pricing practices. In April, the court ordered Apple to allow developers to implement payment methods outside the App Store without incurring Apple’s fees.
Following the judgment, Epic resubmitted Fortnite for approval. However, the game’s relaunch faced delays due to what Epic characterized as Apple’s deliberate obstruction in both the U.S. and EU markets.
This week, the legal pressure intensified when Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers instructed Apple to either promptly approve Fortnite’s reinstatement or clearly demonstrate a legitimate legal justification for rejecting Epic’s submission. The judge’s intervention appears to have expedited Fortnite’s return.
With this conclusion to the dispute, Fortnite is poised to regain its presence among a broader global audience on iOS platforms after an extended absence from App Store availability.
