Epic Games' Fortnite has been blocked from returning to iOS devices by Apple, despite the game's availability in the European Union through the Epic Games Store. This decision effectively makes Fortnite inaccessible on iPhones and iPads, continuing the ongoing dispute between Epic Games and Apple.
"Apple has blocked our Fortnite submission, so we cannot release to the US App Store or to the Epic Games Store for iOS in the European Union," the company posted on the official Fortnite X account. "Now, sadly, Fortnite on iOS will be offline worldwide until Apple unblocks it."
According to The Guardian, in a statement, Apple said it had specifically asked Epic Sweden to resubmit the app update "without including the US shopfront of the App Store so as not to impact Fortnite in other geographies". But, the company added, it "did not take any action to remove the live version of Fortnite from alternative distribution marketplaces".
Fortnite's exile from the iPhone App Store is the latest twist in a years-long feud between Apple and Epic. Back in 2020, the video game maker filed an antitrust lawsuit against Apple in the US, alleging the technology trendsetter was illegally using its power to gouge game makers.
According to The Verge, Fortnite returned to iOS in the EU last year, but only through those two shopfronts and not Apple's App Store. The return was made possible by the EU's Digital Markets Act, which required Apple to allow third-party app stores on iOS.
Epic had resubmitted Fortnite to the US App Store this month following a recent ruling in Epic's lawsuit against Apple. That ruling prohibited Apple from restricting developers' ability to link to external payment systems, one of the issues that had started their long-running legal battle. Epic was forced to use its Swedish developer account to resubmit the game, as its US account was terminated in 2020 when it first broke Apple's rules by introducing its own in-app payments to the game.
