Epic Games claimed on Friday, May 16, 2025, that Apple is blocking Fortnite’s latest update in both the U.S. and European Union App Stores, taking the game completely offline for iOS players globally following an ongoing battle over external payment systems.
The Battle Over App Store Payment Regulations
The conflict escalated after Epic Games secured a major court decision forcing Apple to allow external payment links in the U.S. App Store without charging standard commissions. Seeking to capitalize on the victory, Epic attempted to resubmit Fortnite to the U.S. App Store on May 9, 2025.
Apple failed to approve the application during a week-long review period, prompting Epic to withdraw the submission. Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney clarified that the update was pulled because Fortnite relies on synchronized weekly content releases that must launch simultaneously across all gaming platforms.
On Wednesday, May 14, Epic submitted a refreshed build containing the new weekly patch to the U.S. App Store for evaluation.
Global Outage and Conflicting Statements
According to an official announcement published Friday morning on X, Apple rejected the latest U.S. update and prevented Epic Games from deploying the game within the European Union. “Now, sadly, Fortnite on iOS will be offline worldwide until Apple unblocks it,” the Fortnite team stated.
Apple Defends Its Position
Apple denied allegations that it actively removed the title from European marketplaces or intentionally disrupted service in other regions.
“We asked that Epic Sweden resubmit the app update without including the U.S. storefront of the App Store so as not to impact Fortnite in other geographies,” an Apple spokesperson stated. “We did not take any action to remove the live version of Fortnite from alternative distribution marketplaces in the EC.”
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