‘We back fam’: Fortnite is back on the US App Store, after a 5-year court battle
Fortnite returned to US iPhones after a new court order
After a five-year absence, Fortnite has finally returned to the iOS App Store in the US, after Apple was ordered by a judge to allow its return.
Announcing the news, Epic Games said: “Fortnite is BACK on the App Store in the U.S. on iPhones and iPads… and on the Epic Games Store and AltStore in the E.U! It’ll show up in Search soon!”
Fortnite’s return is the latest twist in the Epic vs Apple saga stretching back to 2020, when Apple removed Fortnite from the App Store after Epic bypassed its platform fees, leading to the filing of a lawsuit.
The latest development came after a US judge ordered Apple to stop forcing the 27% commission on payments earlier this month, stating that it had violated a 2021 injunction when it was ordered to allow external payment methods.
Epic responded by announcing it was preparing to bring Fortnite back to the iOS App Store this month, but this return was later blocked by Apple after Epic’s first attempt at submitting Fortnite to the store, something that also saw it made temporarily unavailable in Europe.
On Tuesday, US judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers ordered Apple to allow Fortnite’s return to the US App Store, or explain itself in court, which seemingly has led to the game’s long-awaited return.
The version of Fortnite launched on the US App Store today features external payment options and significant incentives for players to buy directly from Epic instead of through Apple’s own payment system.
Former Fortnite creative director Donald Mustard commented on the news: “This is absolutely incredible. Everyone go get Fortnite on your Phones and iPads NOW!!! We worked SO hard in those early days of Fortnite to really dial in and refine a great control scheme for mobile devices!”
Epic Games CEO and founder Tim Sweeney wrote: “We back fam”.
