Fortnite Relaunched on Apple App Store After 5 Years Amid Epic Games Legal Battle

Fortnite is now back on the Apple App Store in the US after being removed nearly five years ago. The game was taken down in August 2020 because it broke Apple’s rules by using its own payment system, which avoided Apple’s 30% fee on in-app purchases.

This led to a legal battle between Epic Games (the creator of Fortnite) and Apple, with Epic claiming the fee was unfair and accusing Apple of controlling the App Store like a monopoly.

Fortnite made the announcement on X, saying the game is available in the US App Store, the Epic Games Store, and the AltStore in the European Union. They also added that it will appear in Search soon.

Apple did not respond to requests for comment but has always stated that its rules are in place to protect users’ security.

This news is seen as a win for Epic Games, after a long legal fight with Apple. Joost van Dreunen, a professor at NYU Stern, said this shows that creators and publishers now have more power to challenge old business models.

Fortnite was blocked last week from app stores around the world after Apple apparently stopped an update. However, the game returned to the EU App Store in January after being absent for four years due to a new law aimed at increasing competition.

Google, which also removed Fortnite in 2020 over the payment issue, lifted its ban last year, allowing the game back on its app store.

Fortnite is very popular, with around 400 million registered players. Its most popular feature is the battle royale mode, where up to 100 players compete to be the last one standing.