Epic restores Fortnite to App Store

Epic Games restored Fortnite to Apple’s App Store on May 19, putting the game back on iPhones after years of exclusion tied to its antitrust fight with Apple. Epic said the return was worldwide, except Australia, and linked the move to the latest stage of its legal battle over App Store commissions and outside payment links. Apple’s U.S. App Store listing for Fortnite was live on Tuesday, showing the game available for iPhone and iPad. Epic and Apple remain in litigation over what payment terms Apple can lawfully impose. ### How did Fortnite get back onto iPhones now? May 19 was the date Epic chose to announce the return, saying Fortnite was “back on the App Store worldwide” after Apple told the U.S. Supreme Court that regulators outside the United States were watching the case. Epic tied the relaunch directly to that filing and said it was returning because it was confident Apple would be forced to show the costs behind its App Store fees. The U.S. Supreme Court on May 6 rejected Apple’s request to temporarily block an order in the Epic case, leaving in place a ruling that found Apple had violated court-mandated changes to its App Store practices. Reuters reported that decision sent the dispute back toward further proceedings in federal court. (epicgames.com) ### What had kept Fortnite off iOS for so long? Fortnite disappeared from Apple’s App Store in 2020 after Epic added its own in-app payment option, bypassing Apple’s payment system and triggering Apple’s removal of the game. The fight turned into a multiyear court battle over whether Apple could stop developers from steering users to payment options outside the App Store. (msn.com) Apple’s App Store listing now shows Fortnite as a free app from Epic Games for iPhone and iPad, with in-app purchases and compatibility details for current Apple devices. That listing is the clearest public sign that the game has been restored for users in the United States. ### What exactly is Epic saying it won? Epic said Apple’s own Supreme Court filing showed the stakes had moved beyond the United States because regulators in “huge markets” were watching what commission rates Apple could charge. (msn.com) Epic argued that once Apple is required to disclose its costs, governments would not permit what Epic called “junk fees” to continue. That is Epic’s characterization of the dispute, not a court finding on global commissions. (apps.apple.com) The underlying injunction cited in Apple’s Supreme Court filing bars Apple from prohibiting developers from including buttons, links or other calls to action that direct customers to outside purchasing mechanisms in addition to Apple’s in-app purchasing system. (epicgames.com) ### Why is Australia still excluded? Australia was the one exception in Epic’s May 19 statement. Epic said it had won its court case there and said an Australian court found parts of Apple’s developer terms unlawful, but that Apple was still enforcing those terms. Epic said it could not return under what it called an illegal payment arrangement and would wait unless Apple adopted interim lawful payment terms or a court issued further orders. (supremecourt.gov) That means the restoration is not fully uniform across markets, even as Epic describes the broader return as worldwide. Epic’s own statement is the source for both the global relaunch and the Australian carveout. ### What should users watch next? The next concrete step is in court, not in the game itself. (epicgames.com) Reuters reported that after the Supreme Court declined Apple’s stay request, Apple and Epic were headed back to U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers in Oakland, California, to continue fighting over what commissions Apple may lawfully charge in covered app transactions. Epic also said on May 19 that it would continue challenging Apple’s rules on alternative app stores and payment competition. For users, the practical place to check is the live App Store listing for availability and Epic’s public updates for any market-by-market changes, including Australia. (epicgames.com) (msn.com)