Epic Alleges Apple Blocking Fortnite's U.S. Return

The ongoing legal dispute between Epic Games and Apple concerning Fortnite's availability on iOS has escalated. Epic now alleges that Apple is intentionally blocking its submission, preventing the game's return to the U.S. App Store.

Earlier this month, Epic CEO Tim Sweeney anticipated Fortnite's return to the U.S. iOS App Store within days, following a major court decision.

On April 30, a U.S. Federal District Court in California ruled that Apple willfully violated a court order from the Epic Games v. Apple case. This order had mandated that Apple allow developers to offer customers alternative payment methods outside of its app ecosystem.

In January, IGN detailed how Sweeney has invested billions of dollars in challenging Apple and Google's app store policies. Sweeney previously described this to IGN as a long-term strategic investment in Epic and Fortnite's future, affirming the company's financial capacity to sustain this battle for decades.

Sweeney's persistent campaign to reintroduce Fortnite on iPhones and Android devices while bypassing store fees is well known. The core issue is Epic's refusal to pay the standard 30% revenue share on mobile game sales. Instead, the company aims to distribute titles like Fortnite through its own Epic Games Store on mobile, free from Apple and Google's control and associated fees. This conflict originally led to Fortnite's removal from iOS in 2020.

Following Sweeney's public announcement, a swift return of Fortnite to iOS was expected, but this has not materialized. Epic has since provided IGN with an official statement on the current impasse:

"Apple has rejected our Fortnite submission, preventing its release on the U.S. App Store and blocking the launch of the Epic Games Store for iOS in the European Union. Consequently, Fortnite on iOS will remain unavailable worldwide until Apple reverses its decision."

This situation represents a significant financial setback for Epic, which has forfeited billions in revenue since Fortnite was removed from iPhones five years ago. Sweeney has now taken to social media, publicly addressing Apple CEO Tim Cook in an attempt to resolve the deadlock.

"Hi Tim. How about allowing our shared customer base to access Fortnite? Just a thought."

Hi Tim. How about if you let our mutual customers access Fortnite? Just a thought.

— Tim Sweeney (@TimSweeneyEpic) May 15, 2025

Subsequent to the court's ruling, Apple was referred to federal prosecutors for violating the U.S. court order. U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers stated, "Apple’s continued attempts to interfere with competition will not be tolerated. This is an injunction, not a negotiation. There are no do-overs once a party willfully disregards a court order."

The judge referred both Apple and one of its executives, Alex Roman, Vice President of Finance, for a criminal contempt investigation. Judge Rogers found Roman's testimony regarding Apple's compliance efforts to be "replete with misdirection and outright lies."

Apple issued a statement at the time, saying, "We strongly disagree with the decision. We will comply with the court’s order and we will appeal." Most recently, Apple petitioned a U.S. appeals court to suspend the ruling from the Epic Games case.