Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you probably know by now that Apple ejected the popular Fortnite video game from the App Store in 2020 after game developer Epic Games introduced an in-app payment system to the game that tried to circumvent Apple’s App Store policies. This resulted in an epic legal battle between the two companies that has raged on for years.
Apple has long defended its right to impose restrictions on its own platform, including raking in a percentage of developers’ earnings with arguably predatory control levers that give Apple’s first-party apps a significant advantage. Epic Games, on the other hand, has been pleading with judges in the United States to keep Apple on a leash so that apps like Fortnite can be offered in the App Store without the applicable Apple tax that Apple charges on transactions diminishing developers’ earnings.
A ruling issued just last week by U.S.-based judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers proclaimed that Apple can no longer charge 15-30% commission fees on purchases made from Apple device owners from App Store-hosted apps. As a result, Apple changed its App Store policy (under protest, of course) to comply with the ruling. This effectively moots the point of contention between Apple and Epic Games, paving a path forward for Epic Games to reinstate its popular Fortnite game in the United States App Store.
Consequently, Epic Games announced Friday afternoon that they have re-submitted Fortnite to Apple for their App Store team to review, unlocking the possibility that the game could once again become available to download in the United States-based App Store, as protected by the judge’s ruling. App Store submissions can take time for Apple to review, so it will indeed be interesting to see the outcome of this move by Epic Games.
It’s worth noting that Epic Games’ United States-based developer account was banned for its repeated offenses against Apple. For that reason, Epic Games CEO Time Sweeney explained that the company is in talks with Apple about launching Fortnite in the United States using a Swedish developer account that is used in the European Union. Now, Epic Games awaits Apple’s move.
Apple has already started accepting App Store submissions for various apps that allow off-app purchases following the court ruling. For example, third-party music streaming service Spotify already had its app approved in the App Store with updated clear and concise off-app purchase link capabilities, allowing the service to dodge the Apple tax that it has long complained about.
It’s worth noting that government entities in the European Union have already reigned in Apple for their anti-competitive practices. Epic Games’ Fortnite game has long been available in the Epic Games Store for Apple devices, an alternative to the first-party App Store that Apple is bound by regulation in the European Union to allow, just like AltStore PAL. These third-party marketplaces are unavailable in the United States, but their availability makes the presence of Fortnite on these devices in other parts of the world possible.
It will be interesting to see whether Apple approves Epic Games’ attempt to re-submit Fortnite to the App Store following the ruling, as even Tim Sweeney seems unsure about the potential outcome. If we’re certain about anything, it’s that Epic Games won’t hold back from pursuing any possible legal avenues if Apple doesn’t play nicely, as they’ve continued to do all this time.
Are you hopeful that Fortnite will return to the iOS App Store in the United States, or have you moved on? Let us know in the comments section down below.