Fortnite is set to make a triumphant return to the U.S. iOS App Store and iPhones next week, following a significant court ruling, according to Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney. On April 30, a U.S. Federal District Court in California ruled that Apple had willfully violated a court order in the Epic Games v. Apple case. This order mandated Apple to allow developers to offer alternative payment methods outside of their apps.
In response, Sweeney proposed a "peace proposal" to Apple via a tweet, stating, "If Apple extends the court's friction-free, Apple-tax-free framework worldwide, we'll return Fortnite to the App Store worldwide and drop current and future litigation on the topic." This comes after years of legal battles between Epic and Apple over app store policies.
Sweeney's fight against Apple and Google, which began over the standard 30% store fees on mobile game revenue, has been costly but is seen by Sweeney as a long-term investment in Epic and Fortnite's future. In 2020, this dispute led to Fortnite being blocked from iOS devices. Now, nearly five years later, Fortnite is poised to return to U.S. iPhones.
The court ruling also stated that Apple's fees on web transactions are now considered "unlawful" in the U.S., mirroring similar rulings in Europe under the Digital Markets Act. U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers emphasized that Apple's actions were a clear violation of the court's injunction and referred Apple and one of its executives, Alex Roman, to federal prosecutors for a criminal contempt investigation.
Apple responded by disagreeing with the decision but stated it would comply and appeal the ruling. This development marks a significant victory for Epic, which had previously seen success primarily in Europe with the launch of the Epic Games Store on iPhones in the European Union and on Android devices worldwide.
Despite the financial strain, including significant layoffs at Epic's North Carolina studio in September 2023, Sweeney remains optimistic. He asserted in October last year that Epic is "financially sound," with both Fortnite and the Epic Games Store achieving new records in "concurrency and success."
