Fortnite Returns to U.S. App Store Amid Legal Battle with Apple
The popular battle royale game Fortnite has made its way back to the U.S. App Store following a lengthy legal dispute between its developer, Epic Games, and tech giant Apple.
In addition to being available on the Epic Games Store and AltStore in the EU, Fortnite can now be found on the App Store as well, with Epic Games confirming that it will show up in search results soon.
The conflict between Epic Games and Apple began in 2020 when Apple removed Fortnite from the App Store after Epic introduced a payment option that allowed players to make in-game purchases using Epic’s virtual currency at a discounted rate. This move led to Epic suing Apple for anticompetitive behavior.
A judge ruled in favor of Epic, stating that Apple had violated rules regarding anticompetitive pricing. As a result, Apple was ordered to allow developers to collect payments outside of the App Store without facing fees.
Following this ruling, Epic resubmitted Fortnite to the App Store but faced delays in getting approval. The company accused Apple of blocking the game’s release in the U.S. and EU.
Recently, U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers stated that Apple should approve Epic’s submission or provide a legal basis for blocking it, potentially leading to Fortnite’s return to the App Store.
The updated version of Fortnite on the App Store now offers a 20% cashback incentive for purchasing in-game items directly from Epic rather than using Apple’s in-app purchase system.
