Epic: Apple Blocks Fortnite's U.S. Return, Sweeney Tweets Cook

Epic's ongoing legal battle with Apple over the fate of Fortnite on iOS devices has escalated once again, with Epic alleging that Apple is preventing the game's return to the U.S. App Store. This conflict stems from Epic's desire to bypass the standard 30% app store fees and operate Fortnite through its own Epic Games Store on mobile platforms.

Earlier this month, Epic CEO Tim Sweeney announced that Fortnite would soon be available again on the U.S. iOS App Store following a crucial court ruling. On April 30, a U.S. Federal District Court in California ruled that Apple had deliberately violated a court order in the Epic Games v. Apple case. The order mandated that Apple allow developers to offer alternative payment methods outside their apps.

Epic's Tim Sweeney remains steadfast in his mission to challenge Apple and Google, even if it takes years. Photo by SeongJoon Cho/Bloomberg. In January, IGN highlighted Sweeney's significant financial commitment to this cause, noting that he had spent billions fighting Apple and Google over their app store policies. Sweeney views this as a long-term investment in Epic and Fortnite's future, confident that Epic can sustain the battle for decades.

Despite expectations following Sweeney's tweet, Fortnite has not yet returned to iOS devices. Epic recently updated IGN, 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."

Hi Tim. How about if you let our mutual customers access Fortnite? Just a thought.

— Tim Sweeney (@TimSweeneyEpic) May 15, 2025

Following the court's decision, Apple faced further scrutiny as it was referred to federal prosecutors for violating the U.S. court order. U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers emphasized the seriousness of the situation, stating, "Apple’s continued attempts to interfere with competition will not be tolerated. This is an injunction, not a negotiation. There are no do-overs once a party willfully disregards a court order."

The Judge also referred Apple and its vice president of finance, Alex Roman, to federal prosecutors for a criminal contempt investigation due to misleading testimony about compliance with the injunction. In response, Apple expressed disagreement with the ruling but committed to compliance while planning an appeal. Last week, Apple requested a pause on the ruling from the U.S. appeals court.