Epic Games, the developer of Fortnite, has been locked in a long-standing legal battle with Apple over commissions on in-app purchases for nearly five years. A federal judge recently chastised Apple for ignoring her injunction and continued anticompetitive behavior.
In response to the ruling, Epic Games announced that it would block Fortnite from the App Store worldwide until Apple unblocks it. Apple had initially removed Fortnite from the App Store in 2020 after Epic Games attempted to skirt paying commissions on in-app purchases by users.
The dispute centers around Apple’s 30% commission on in-app purchases and its policies preventing developers from offering alternate payment options. A federal judge, Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers, ruled that Apple’s actions were anticompetitive and gave developers the right to direct users to make payments outside of the app.
Last month, Judge Rogers found Apple knew exactly what it was doing when it violated her 2021 injunction. She also stated that companies like Spotify joined Epic Games in celebrating the ruling. Apple disagreed with the decision and plans to appeal.
The latest development comes after Epic Games submitted a new version of Fortnite for review, which was initially blocked by Apple due to concerns about impacting other geographies. However, the company asked to resubmit the app update without including the U.S. storefront of the App Store.
Source: https://fortune.com/2025/05/17/apple-blocks-fortnite-on-ios-app-store