Epic's Tim Sweeney: Fortnite Set to Return to U.S. iPhones After Nearly 5-Year Ban

Fortnite is set to make a triumphant return to the U.S. iOS App Store and iPhones next week, following a pivotal court ruling, according to Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney. On April 30, a U.S. Federal District Court in California ruled that Apple had willfully violated a court order in the Epic Games v. Apple case. The order mandated Apple to allow developers to provide alternative purchasing options outside of their apps.

In response, Sweeney tweeted a "peace proposal" to Apple, suggesting that if Apple were to extend the court's framework globally, Epic would bring Fortnite back to the App Store worldwide and halt all current and future litigation related to this issue. Sweeney emphasized, "If Apple extends the court's friction-free, Apple-tax-free framework worldwide, we'll return Fortnite to the App Store worldwide and drop current and future litigation on the topic."

Sweeney's battle with Apple and Google over app store fees has been costly and well-documented. Epic aims to bypass the standard 30% store fees by running Fortnite through its own Epic Games Store on mobile devices. This conflict led to Fortnite being removed from iOS back in 2020, but now, nearly five years later, it is set to return to U.S. iPhones.

Sweeney celebrated the ruling on Twitter, stating, "NO FEES on web transactions. Game over for the Apple Tax. Apple’s 15-30% junk fees are now just as dead here in the United States of America as they are in Europe under the Digital Markets Act. Unlawful here, unlawful there."

As a result of Apple's violation, U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers has referred Apple and its vice president of finance, Alex Roman, to federal prosecutors for a criminal contempt investigation. Judge 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." She accused Roman's testimony of being "replete with misdirection and outright lies."

Apple responded to the ruling, saying, "we strongly disagree with the decision. We will comply with the court’s order and we will appeal."

Epic's legal battles have been expensive, leading to significant layoffs, including 830 employees, or about 16% of its workforce, at its North Carolina studio in September 2023. Despite these challenges, Sweeney assured in October last year that Epic was "financially sound," with Fortnite and the Epic Games Store achieving new records in "concurrency and success."

Prior to this U.S. victory, Epic's progress was mainly in Europe through the region's Digital Markets Act. In August last year, the Epic Games Store launched on iPhones in the European Union and on Android devices worldwide, featuring games like Fortnite, Rocket League Sideswipe, and Fall Guys for mobile. However, Epic has faced challenges in getting Fortnite up and running on mobile, with "scare screens" deterring up to 50% of potential users.

Epic's Tim Sweeney is determined to defeat Apple and Google, however long it takes. Photo by SeongJoon Cho/Bloomberg.

Fortnite is finally set to return to iPhones in the U.S., nearly five years after the game was pulled. Photographer: Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg via Getty Images.