A US court found Apple in violation of a previous injunction requiring support for alternative payment systems.
Fortnite had over 116 million iOS users when it was banned in 2020.
Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney confirmed the game’s return with the message “We back fam.”
After over five years, Epic Games’ title Fortnite has made its return to the Apple App Store in the US. This comes days after the game maker witnessed a major legal win for the gaming studio. For the unversed, the dispute began in 2020 when Epic Games challenged Apple App Store policies, specifically the 30 per cent commission on the in-app purchases.
The disagreement led to Fortnite being removed from the platform, preventing over 100 million iOS users from accessing the game. But now, it can be downloaded from the App Store in the US. Previously, the game was made available on both Android and iOS devices in the European Union.
READ: Epic Games wins legal battle against Apple: iOS Fortnite relaunch confirmed?
What was the US federal court ruling
The return comes in the wake of the April 30 federal court ruling, which found Apple in violation of the previous injunction. The judge stated that Apple has failed to comply with a 2021 court ruling, which mandated the company to allow alternative payment options and greater competition within its App Store. It included a referral to federal prosecutors to investigate Apple for potential criminal contempt.
Fortnite is back on iPhones in the US:
Taking to the microblogging platform X, Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney confirmed the game’s reinstatement with a post on X (formerly Twitter), stating simply, “We back fam.”
Fortnite, which was launched back in 2017, has seen an overwhelming response with its fast-paced battle royale format. When the game was removed from the Apple App Store, the game had over 116 million iOS users.
As for now, Apple has confirmed that it will appeal against the ruling, but till then, it will follow the court rulings.
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Ashish Singh
Ashish Singh is the Chief Copy Editor at Digit. He's been wrangling tech jargon since 2020 (Times Internet, Jagran English '22). When not policing commas, he's likely fueling his gadget habit with coffee, strategising his next virtual race, or plotting a road trip to test the latest in-car tech. He speaks fluent Geek. View Full Profile
