Epic Video games’ wildly standard multiplayer shooter sport “Fortnite” is obtainable once more on Apple’s App Retailer within the US from Tuesday, capping a ban of practically 5 years and marking a serious win for the online game firm. 

Epic Games, a US-based studio backed by ’s Tencent, has been locked in a authorized battle with Apple since 2020. Epic Video games alleged the iPhone maker’s apply of charging a fee of as much as 30 p.c on in-app funds violated US antitrust guidelines.

Fortnite’s return to Apple’s iOS methods within the US follows an April 30 ruling by a federal choose saying that Apple violated a US court docket order that required the corporate to permit better competitors for app downloads and fee strategies in its App Store. The ruling additionally stated that Apple had didn’t adjust to the choose’s prior injunction order and can be referred to federal prosecutors for a prison contempt investigation.

Apple didn’t instantly reply to a Reuters request for touch upon Fortnite’s return to its App Retailer. “We again fam,” Epic Video games CEO Tim Sweeney posted on social media platform X.

Launched in 2017, Fortnite turned an instantaneous hit, drawing hundreds of thousands of gamers all over the world because of its last-player-standing, “battle royale” format. On the time of the ban, Epic had 116 million customers simply on Apple’s platform.

“For Epic Video games this was a tough fought win that carried a really steep worth and could also be too late to spice up its Fortnite sport that’s now previous its prime,” stated Gil Luria, analyst at DA Davidson. “For Apple that is one other crack within the armor that the providers enterprise depends on — the funneling of funds by means of Apple so as to cost builders for each transaction.”

Michael Ashley Schulman, chief funding officer at Working Level Capital Advisors, stated this opened the door for subscription apps like Spotify and Netflix to claw again margin and for unbiased studios to monetize with out having to pay Apple an additional fee, probably reshaping iOS economics over the following 12-18 months.

Apple and Alphabet’s Google had banned Fortnite from their shops in 2020 over a tussle about in-app fee pointers. The sport had already returned to Google’s Android units worldwide and iPhones within the EU final yr.

The sport title was additionally obtainable on the Epic Video games Retailer and AltStore within the European Union, Fortnite stated on X on Tuesday. 

© Thomson Reuters 2025

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