Fortnite returns to Apple App Store

Epic Games said on May 19 that Fortnite had returned to Apple’s App Store worldwide, restoring the game to iPhones and iPads after a five-year fight over payment rules and App Store commissions. The move was confirmed by Epic in a post on its website and by Apple’s App Store listing for Fortnite. (epicgames.com) The return comes as Apple and Epic continue to litigate over how much Apple can charge when developers steer users to outside payment options. Epic tied the relisting directly to that dispute, saying it was returning now because it expected courts and regulators to force more transparency around Apple’s fees. ### How did Fortnite get back onto the App Store now? Epic Games said on May 19 that Fortnite was “now back on the App Store worldwide,” and said the decision followed recent legal developments in its long-running case with Apple. (appleinsider.com) Epic wrote that Apple had told the U.S. Supreme Court that regulators around the world were watching the case to determine what commission rates Apple may charge on covered purchases outside the United States. CNBC reported in earlier coverage of the same dispute that Apple approved Fortnite’s return to the U.S. App Store after a judge pressed the company to explain why the game had not yet been restored. That report said Epic had submitted Fortnite for review on May 9 and that Apple had delayed a decision while appealing a court order tied to App Store payment restrictions. (epicgames.com) ### What exactly are Epic and Apple still fighting about? The core dispute remains Apple’s control over in-app payments and the fees tied to purchases made outside the App Store. CNBC reported that the earlier court ruling said Apple could not charge a commission when apps linked out for payment, or dictate whether those links looked like buttons. (epicgames.com) Epic said on May 19 that it was returning Fortnite because it was confident Apple would be forced to show how it calculates App Store charges. Epic added that it would continue to challenge what it called Apple’s “anticompetitive App Store practices” involving alternative app stores and payment competition. That language is Epic’s characterization of the case, not a court finding in the company’s own statement announcing the return. (cnbc.com) ### Why does Epic call this the “final battle”? Epic used the phrase “final battle” in the headline of its May 19 statement, linking Fortnite’s return to the next phase of court and regulatory scrutiny over Apple’s fee structure. AppleInsider reported on May 16 that the two companies had agreed on a pre-court schedule for new fee proposals as the case moved back toward district court. (cnbc.com) The U.S. Supreme Court on May 6 rejected Apple’s request to temporarily block an order that found the company in violation of court-mandated App Store changes in the Epic case, according to Reuters coverage carried by U.S. News. That left lower-court pressure on Apple in place while the companies continue to argue over the scope of the required changes. (epicgames.com) ### Is Fortnite back everywhere Apple sells apps? Epic said Fortnite was back on the App Store “worldwide,” but it also said Australia was an exception. In Australia, Epic said it had won a court case against Apple and was asking the court there to stop what it called Apple’s unlawful developer terms. Epic said it could not return in Australia under what it described as an illegal payment arrangement unless Apple changed those terms or a court ordered a remedy. (epicgames.com) Apple’s U.S. App Store listing for Fortnite shows the game is available for iPhone and iPad from Epic Games Inc., with in-app purchases and a 13+ age rating. The listing also shows the app had more than 146,000 ratings. (usnews.com) ### What happens next in the case? Apple and Epic are still heading into another round of court proceedings over fee proposals and outbound-payment rules. AppleInsider reported on May 16 that the companies had agreed on a pre-court schedule for those submissions. Epic said on May 19 that regulators in Japan, the European Union and the United Kingdom were also moving on app-store rules, and it said it would keep challenging Apple’s practices in those venues. (epicgames.com) The next concrete step in the U.S. case is further district-court review of what Apple may charge for purchases made through external links. (appleinsider.com) (apps.apple.com)