Epic CEO says Apple still hasn’t approved its Fortnite iOS submission, suggests it’s obstructing the process
Epic has had to pull its submission and submit a new version, Tim Sweeney says
Epic CEO Tim Sweeney says Apple has still yet to approve the addition of Fortnite to the iOS App Store, and has suggested it’s obstructing the process.
The game was submitted to Apple for review on May 9, but on May 14 Sweeney told followers on X that Apple still hadn’t approved the game’s release.
After one follower asked Sweeney where the game was, he replied: “No news from Apple yet. They’ve had it since last Friday.”
When another follower asked if Epic had reached out to Apple to find out what was going on, he replied: “We emailed yesterday but haven’t heard back.”
Apple’s official Developer site states that “on average, 90% of submissions are reviewed in less than 24 hours”.
Sweeney then noted that because Fortnite regularly updates its content and has to feature the same version across all formats to ensure cross-platform compatibility, the version of Fortnite submitted to Apple was due to be out of date by May 16, meaning on May 14 – five days after submitting the game – Epic had to resubmit it with the new content included.
“We need to release a weekly Fortnite update with new content this Friday, and all platforms must update simultaneously,” he told one user. “So we have pulled the previous Fortnite version submitted to Apple App Review last Friday, and we have submitted a new version for review.”
When asked by another follower why Epic didn’t plan for this possibility, Sweeney explained that platform holders are expected to support the release of apps and regular updates when it comes to continually evolving live service games, and that if a company like Apple “obstructs” the process it hinders the game’s ability to work.
“Our release planning relies on platforms supporting app developers like us releasing apps,” he said. “There is no way a rapidly evolving multi-platform game like Fortnite can operate if platforms use their power or processes to obstruct.”
Update: We need to release a weekly Fortnite update with new content this Friday, and all platforms must update simultaneously. So we have pulled the previous Fortnite version submitted to Apple App Review last Friday, and we have submitted a new version for review.
— Tim Sweeney (@TimSweeneyEpic) May 14, 2025
Apple’s apparent delay in approving Fortnite for iOS release is the latest chapter in the ongoing feud between Epic and Apple.
Apple had previously been sued by Epic in 2020 for taking a 30% cut on all in-app purchases while also banning any alternative ways of making payments outside of Apple’s ecosystem.
Epic tried to bypass Apple’s platform fees later in 2020 by adding a new direct payment option in Fortnite, but this led to Apple removing the game from the App Store and terminating Epic’s developer account. Apple was then ordered in 2021 to allow iOS developers to link to external payment options in their apps.
Apple started allowing developers to offer external payment options, but also forced a 27% commission on purchases made through web links in apps, and also showed prompts that appeared to dissuade users from using web link purchases.
Earlier this month a US judge ordered Apple to stop forcing the 27% commission and using its prompts, stating that the Apple had violated a 2021 injunction and that VP Alex Roman had “outright lied under oath”, meaning the company could now face criminal contempt charges.
Following the ruling Epic said that if Apple agreed to apply the ruling globally, it would drop all ongoing and future litigation, including its fight to bring its own store to iOS, and would bring Fortnite back to the platform in May.
Epic also introduced a change to its Epic Rewards plan, which usually lets players earn 5% back in rewards any time they make a purchase on the Epic Games Store. In a permanent change, players who make purchases for Fortnite, Rocket League and Fall Guys will now get 20% rewards instead, a move seemingly made to convince players to buy in-app purchases through Epic instead of Apple when (or if) Fortnite finally returns to iOS.
