Epic Games’ hugely popular multiplayer shooter, Fortnite, has made its return to Apple’s App Store in the US, ending a ban that lasted nearly five years and marking a significant victory for the game developer.
Epic Games, an American studio supported by China’s Tencent, has been embroiled in a legal dispute with Apple since 2020. The company accused Apple of violating U.S. antitrust laws by imposing a commission of up to 30% on in-app purchases.
Fortnite’s comeback on Apple’s iOS platform in the U.S. comes after a federal judge’s April 30 ruling found that Apple breached a court order requiring it to open up the App Store to more competition in app downloads and payment options. The judge also determined that Apple had not complied with a previous injunction and referred the matter to federal prosecutors for a potential criminal contempt investigation.
Apple did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment on Fortnite’s return to its App Store. “We back fam,” Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney posted on social media platform X.
Launched in 2017, Fortnite became an instant hit, drawing millions of players around the world thanks to its last-player-standing, “battle royale” format. At the time of the ban, Epic had 116 million users just on Apple’s platform.
“For Epic Games this was a hard fought win that carried a very steep price and may be too late to boost its Fortnite game that is now past its prime,” said Gil Luria, analyst at D.A. Davidson. “For Apple this is another crack in the armor that the services business relies on — the funneling of payments through Apple in order to charge developers for every transaction.”
Michael Ashley Schulman, chief investment officer at Running Point Capital Advisors, said this opened the door for subscription apps like Spotify and Netflix to claw back margin and for independent studios to monetize without having to pay Apple an extra commission, potentially reshaping iOS economics over the next 12-18 months.
How to Download Fortnite on iOS
While the precise instructions for installing Fortnite on iOS have yet to be officially announced, players may have several possible options to get the game. One likely method could be downloading it straight from the App Store, especially since the previous legal barriers have been lifted.