Epic Video games Apple has blocked Epic’s submission of Fortnite to the U.S. Apple App Retailer and the Epic Video games Retailer for iOS within the European Union.
“Now, sadly, Fortnite on iOS will probably be offline worldwide till Apple unblocks it,” Epic Video games mentioned in a tweet.
Epic Video games had hoped that it will have the ability to return its sport, which has been off iOS since Epic sued Apple for antitrust violations in 2021. A brand new legislation within the EU is anticipated to drive Apple to conform sooner or later, and a latest ruling within the U.S. federal antitrust lawsuit by Epic was anticipated to drive Apple’s hand.
[Updated: 11:16 p.m. Pacific time on 5/16/25]. Epic Video games mentioned it filed a movement to implement the decide’s injunction in opposition to Apple.
Epic Video games support, “Yesterday afternoon, Apple broke its week-long silence on the standing of our app evaluate with a letter saying they won’t act on the Fortnite app submission till the Ninth Circuit Court docket guidelines on the partial keep. We consider this violates the Court docket’s Injunction and we now have filed a second Movement to Implement Injunction with the US District Court docket for the Northern District of California.”
The corporate added, “We’ve been clear with Apple about our intentions whereas they’ve used app evaluate and notarization as a pretext to bypass the Court docket’s injunction and the EU Digital Markets Act. Apple’s “resolution” required us to submit two variations of Fortnite, in violation of their guideline that builders shouldn’t submit a number of variations of the identical app. That’s not the usual Apple holds different builders to and it’s blocking us from releasing our replace within the EU and US. Apple is once more retaliating in opposition to Epic for difficult the legality of their anticompetitive habits and we are going to combat on.”
Within the new Movement, Epic mentioned that on Could 1, 2025, Epic notified Apple of its intent to avail itself of the injunction and the brand new tips. Particularly, Epic notified Apple that Epic would use the identical developer account that it makes use of to distribute the Epic Video games Retailer and Fortnite within the European Union to submit Fortnite for App Evaluate within the U.S. Epic invited Apple to supply it with additional route if Apple most well-liked that Epic submit Fortnite for evaluate one other manner (e.g., by a distinct developer account). On Could 2, 2025, Apple—by its outdoors counsel— said that if Epic needed to submit utilizing the method Epic had outlined, it ought to accomplish that.”
Epic added, “Though Apple’s contracts might allow it to reject an app for lawful causes, the Injunction supplies that Apple might not reject an app—together with Fortnite—as a result of its developer chooses to incorporate an exterior buy hyperlink. Likewise, if the Injunction is to have any tooth, Apple can’t reject an app on the bottom that its developer has sought to implement the Injunction’s prohibitions.”
And Epic mentioned, “The one rationalization for Apple’s resolution to refuse to evaluate Epic’s Fortnite submission is that Apple doesn’t need Epic to benefit from the rights it labored so arduous to acquire and as a substitute needs to retaliate for these efforts.”
Nothing about Epic’s stipulation with Apple supplies Apple with any better discretion to reject a submission from Epic or to deal with Epic’s submissions any in another way than Apple might deal with submissions from some other developer, Epic mentioned. And importantly, Apple’s contractual rights below the DPLA don’t trump the Injunction; on the contrary, the entire level of the Injunction is to curb these rights, Epic mentioned.
Epic added, “This courtroom’s Injunction and contempt order are clear. Apple might not reject apps as a result of their builders want to steer customers to various cost choices by hyperlinks, buttons and different calls to motion. Nor can Apple reject apps as a result of their builders have tried to implement that proper. In its Contempt Order, this Court docket emphasised that the aim of the Injunction is to terminate Apple’s makes an attempt to intrude with competitors and preserve an anticompetitive income stream. Apple’s purposeful rejection of Fortnite—which has a purchase order hyperlink aspect by aspect with IAP, in line with the present Pointers—is solely extra interference with competitors.”
We await additional rationalization for why Apple remains to be blocking Fortnite’s return. We’ve got requested Apple for remark, but it surely has not supplied something but.
In its authorized filings with Epic, Apple mentioned, “The events’ latest disputes over the District Court docket’s injunction don’t diminish Apple’s bases and authorized proper to have terminated Epic Video games’ DPLA. On the contrary, the District Court docket’s latest Order reiterated Epic Video games’ admission ‘that it breached the DPLA and [had previously] conceded that Apple could be entitled to aid if the Court docket discovered that the DPLA was enforceable and didn’t violate antitrust legal guidelines or public coverage.’”
Apple mentioned the district courtroom once more famous that “Apple’s breach of contract declare can be premised on violations of DPLA provisions impartial of the anti-steering provisions. Apple eliminated Fortnite from the U.S. storefront of the App Retailer and terminated Epic Video games’ developer account due to that breach.”
