Epic Games achieves victory in court, enabling Fortnite to debut on Apple's App Store
Ready for some juicy gossip? Epic Games, the folks behind Fortnite, have decided to toss their hat back into Apple's App Store ring - a move that's been a long time coming since Fortnite was given the boot back in 2020. This ol' legal battle between the two powerhouses started when Epic Games cleverly bypassed Apple's commission system.
You remember, they updated their software to link out to their own website, and that made Apple all huffy. Now, after a judge sided with Epic last month, Fortnite's return to the App Store is in the works. However, Apple could still play hardball and reject the submission – but they haven't said squat about it yet.
In fact, this latest move from Epic Games is just the latest shot fired in their ongoing war with Apple, which has been raging in courts and with global regulators since 2020. Epic even took a swing at Google, too.
The contempt ruling last month was a win for Epic Games, as it said Apple couldn't demand a commission on link-outs or dictate how the links are presented, paving the way for Fortnite's comeback.
But here's the kicker: before this ruling, developers like Amazon and Spotify had already been skirting Apple's commission fees by sending customers to their own websites for payments. Amazon's Kindle app, for example, only started letting iPhone users buy books after a recent update, as opposed to before when they were left high and dry.
Here's a fun fact: Fortnite was already available for iPhones in Europe last year through Epic Games' store. Makes ya wonder why it took so long for it to happen in the U.S., huh?
On a side note, it's been interesting to see the implications of last month's ruling on iPhone app development economics. Ain't nothing like a little corporate drama to spice things up, eh?
Oh, and if you're curious about that app store ban of Epic Games' U.S. developer account, that's still in effect. But Epic found a loophole by submitting their application under their Swedish subsidiary – crafty, ain't it?
Sources:
- [1] CNBC.com, 2025. "Fortnite resubmitted to US App Store after Epic Games' court victory."
- [2] detroitnews.com, 2025. "Epic Games resubmits Fortnite to US App Store after court win."
- [3] businessinsider.com, 2025. "Epic Games CEO says Fortnite will be approved on iOS again now that court has sided with them."
- The ruling last month has prompted other businesses, such as Amazon and Spotify, to reconsider Apple's commission fees on app store transactions, potentially revolutionizing the finance landscape of digital markets.
- As technology advances, the ongoing legal battle between Epic Games and Apple has started affecting broader aspects of business and commerce, forcing both companies and regulators to address the implications on app store revenue models.
