Epic Games officially brought its hit battle royale title Fortnite back to the U.S. Apple App Store on Tuesday following a court order that ended a dramatic five-year antitrust standoff over in-app payment fees.
Alongside its U.S. relaunch, Fortnite is also available in the European Union via the Epic Games Store and AltStore. Epic confirmed in a statement on X that the title will begin populating in standard App Store search results shortly.
The 2020 Removal and Epic’s Legal Battle
Apple originally expelled Fortnite from its marketplace in 2020. The removal occurred immediately after Epic Games implemented a direct payment mechanism offering players a 20% discount on virtual currency, bypassing Apple’s standard 30% cut. Epic responded to the ban by filing a high-profile antitrust lawsuit against the tech giant.
The resulting court battle produced a landmark judgment finding Apple in “willful violation” of regulations governing anticompetitive pricing. Last month, the presiding judge ordered Apple to permit developers to direct users to outside payment methods without imposing arbitrary fees.
Judicial Intervention Clears Relaunch Delays
Despite the favorable ruling, Epic’s path back to iOS was stalled. After resubmitting Fortnite to the App Store, the developer encountered unexpected approval delays, subsequently accusing Apple of deliberately blocking the app’s release across both the U.S. and European markets.
The impasse ended earlier this week when U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers issued an official filing demanding Apple either approve Epic’s app submission immediately or provide a valid legal justification for delaying it. The judicial directive decisively shifted momentum, forcing the app’s prompt reinstatement.
New In-Game Incentive Structure for Mobile Players
The updated Fortnite build now live on iOS introduces an incentive structure designed to bypass Apple’s native payment system. Players who purchase in-game items directly from Epic receive 20% cash back, restoring the financial benefit that initially triggered the legal dispute half a decade ago.
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