Fortnite is set to make a triumphant return to the U.S. iOS App Store and iPhones next week, following a landmark court ruling, Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney has announced. On April 30, a U.S. Federal District Court in California ruled that Apple had willfully violated a court order in the Epic Games v. Apple case, which mandated Apple to allow developers to offer alternative payment methods outside of their apps.
In response, Sweeney took to Twitter to propose a "peace proposal" to Apple. He stated, "If Apple extends the court's friction-free, Apple-tax-free framework worldwide, we'll return Fortnite to the App Store worldwide and drop current and future litigation on the topic." This comes after years of legal battles between Epic and Apple over app store policies.
Sweeney's fight against Apple and Google's app store fees has been well-documented. Epic aims to bypass the standard 30% store fees by running Fortnite through its own Epic Games Store on mobile devices. This dispute led to Fortnite being removed from iOS back in 2020. Now, nearly five years later, Fortnite is set to return to U.S. iPhones.
Following the court's decision, Sweeney celebrated the ruling on Twitter, stating, "NO FEES on web transactions. Game over for the Apple Tax. Apple’s 15-30% junk fees are now just as dead here in the United States of America as they are in Europe under the Digital Markets Act. Unlawful here, unlawful there."
U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers has referred Apple and one of its executives, Alex Roman, to federal prosecutors for a criminal contempt investigation, citing Apple's non-compliance with the court order. Judge Rogers emphasized, "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."
Apple responded to the ruling with a statement, saying, "we strongly disagree with the decision. We will comply with the court’s order and we will appeal."
Epic's journey to this point has been fraught with challenges. The company launched the Epic Games Store on iPhones in the European Union and on Android devices worldwide in August last year, featuring games like Fortnite, Rocket League Sideswipe, and Fall Guys. However, Epic has faced hurdles in getting these games running smoothly on mobile, with "scare screens" deterring up to 50% of potential users.
Amidst these legal battles, Epic has also faced financial strain, leading to significant layoffs. In September 2023, 830 employees, or about 16% of its workforce, were let go from the North Carolina studio. Despite these challenges, Sweeney assured in October last year that the company was "financially sound," with Fortnite and the Epic Games Store achieving new records in "concurrency and success."
