Fortnite Returns to US iPhones, Epic's Sweeney Says

Fortnite is set to make its return to iOS devices and the U.S. App Store next week following a major court ruling, according to Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney.

On April 30, a federal district court in California ruled that Apple deliberately violated a court order from the Epic Games v. Apple case, which required the tech giant to allow developers to offer alternative payment methods outside their apps.

In a social media post, Sweeney presented a "peace proposal" to Apple, ending years of legal battles between the two companies. He stated, “Should Apple implement the court’s friction-free, commission-free framework globally, we will relaunch Fortnite on the App Store worldwide and discontinue all current and future legal actions on the matter.”

Earlier this year, IGN covered Sweeney’s multi-billion-dollar campaign against Apple and Google’s app store policies. At the time, Sweeney described the effort as a long-term investment in Epic and Fortnite’s future, expressing confidence in the company’s ability to sustain the legal fight for decades if necessary.

Sweeney’s persistent efforts to bring Fortnite back to iPhones and Android devices without paying store commissions are well known. The core issue is Epic’s refusal to pay the industry-standard 30% revenue share on mobile game earnings. Instead, the company aims to distribute Fortnite and other titles through its own Epic Games Store, bypassing Apple and Google’s platforms and associated fees. This conflict led to Fortnite’s removal from iOS in 2020.

Now, nearly five years later, the game is poised to return to iPhones in the United States.

In another tweet, Sweeney celebrated the court’s decision: “NO FEES on web-based transactions. The era of Apple’s commission is over.

“Apple’s 15–30% surcharges are now invalidated here in the United States, just as they are in Europe under the Digital Markets Act. Unlawful in both jurisdictions.”

Apple has been referred to federal prosecutors for breaching the court order. U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers emphasized, “Apple’s ongoing efforts to stifle competition are unacceptable. This is a court injunction, not a suggestion. There are no second chances after a party knowingly disobeys a judicial ruling.”

Judge Gonzalez Rogers referred both Apple and its finance VP, Alex Roman, to federal prosecutors for a criminal contempt investigation regarding their conduct during the proceedings. The judge stated that Roman’s testimony about Apple’s compliance efforts contained “significant misdirection and outright falsehoods.”

Apple issued a statement saying, “We strongly disagree with the court’s ruling. While we will comply with the order, we intend to appeal.”

After numerous expensive legal disputes, Epic has achieved a key breakthrough; until now, its victories were largely confined to Europe under the Digital Markets Act.

In August 2023, the Epic Games Store launched on iPhones in the European Union and on Android devices globally, offering Fortnite, Rocket League Sideswipe, and Fall Guys for mobile. However, installing and running games like Fortnite on mobile remains challenging, with Epic estimating that various warning screens deter up to 50% of potential users.

Despite heavy financial investment in these legal battles, Epic faced substantial workforce reductions. In September 2023, the North Carolina-based studio cut 830 jobs, roughly 16% of its staff. By October, Sweeney assured that the company was “financially stable,” noting that both Fortnite and the Epic Games Store had reached new peaks in user engagement and business performance.