The long-running saga between Epic Games and Apple has taken another sharp turn, leaving Fortnite players on iOS devices worldwide unable to access the game. This latest development comes just weeks after Epic CEO Tim Sweeney optimistically announced on X that Fortnite would return to the US iOS App Store, citing a recent court ruling against Apple as the basis for this planned return following the original ban in 2020.
However, that hopeful plan has now hit a major roadblock. Apple has blocked the submission, a move that echoes the initial conflict that began years ago when Epic intentionally violated App Store rules by introducing its own in-app payment system. While Epic may have seen the recent court decision, which mandated Apple allow developers to link to external payment options, as an opening, Apple did not interpret it as a mandate to reinstate Fortnite itself onto the US App Store platform.
Following Sweeney’s initial announcement on May 1st, Epic proceeded to resubmit Fortnite to the US App Store about a week later. Notably, they used their Swedish developer account for this submission, as their US account remains terminated from the original ban. But on Friday, May 16th, Apple formally rejected this submission, leading to the current situation.
The consequences of this rejection quickly rippled out, extending far beyond just the United States. Fortnite has now become unavailable globally on all iOS devices. This includes the European Union, where Fortnite had previously made a return possible through alternative marketplaces like the Epic Games Store and AltStore PAL, a capability enabled by the EU’s Digital Markets Act, requiring Apple to permit third-party app stores.
Epic Games confirmed the widespread unavailability on its official Fortnite X account, stating, “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. Now, sadly, Fortnite on iOS will be offline worldwide until Apple unblocks it.”
This statement from Epic suggests that Apple’s block on the US submission is the direct cause preventing updates and access in other regions, including the EU alternative stores. Tim Sweeney has also publicly criticized Apple regarding this situation, suggesting their app review process has been “weaponized” by senior management and pointing out that unofficial Fortnite knock-offs allegedly remain on the App Store while the official game is blocked.
Apple, however, offered a different perspective on the situation. While confirming the rejection of the US App Store submission, an Apple spokesperson explicitly denied taking any action to remove the live version of Fortnite from alternative distribution marketplaces in the EU. Apple clarified their communication with Epic, stating they asked Epic Sweden to resubmit the app update specifically without including the US storefront component, a request made to avoid impacting Fortnite’s availability in other geographies.
We asked that Epic Sweden resubmit the app update without including the US storefront of the App Store so as not to impact Fortnite in other geographies. We did not take any action to remove the live version of Fortnite from alternative distribution marketplaces in the EC.
Apple’s stance is that Epic chose to tie the US App Store submission to the update intended for the EU Epic Games Store. According to Apple, by denying the combined submission, the EU version could not receive its necessary update on time, implying Epic is responsible for the EU version going offline by not submitting the updates separately as requested. Apple also reiterated a key point from the original lawsuit ruling: the court order did not require them to allow Fortnite back into the US App Store, and highlighted that Epic’s original US developer account remains terminated since the 2020 ban.
