Epic Games urges court to make Apple restore Fortnite to the US App Store

Epic Games asked U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers on Friday to order Apple to let any compliant version of Fortnite appear in the US App Store, according to a new court filing.

The two companies have battled for years over Apple’s store policies and the commission it takes on in-app sales. Last month, Epic won a key ruling when Judge Rogers said Apple was in “willful violation” of an earlier injunction meant to curb anti-competitive pricing. That decision seemed to clear a path for Fortnite’s return and for all developers to add their own payment options.

Apple, however, quickly confirmed that it will appeal the ruling. On Friday, Epic told the court that Apple is blocking Fortnite in the United States and also stopping a planned relaunch on the Epic Games Store in Europe. “Now, sadly, Fortnite on iOS will be offline worldwide until Apple unblocks it,” Epic wrote in a post on X.

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.

— Fortnite (@Fortnite) May 16, 2025

Apple disputes Epic Games’ claims

Apple disputed Epic’s claim that it blocked Fortnite outside the US. Apple says it only asked Epic Sweden to “resubmit the app update without including the U.S. storefront of the App Store so as not to impact Fortnite in other geographies.”

In another X post, Epic Games wrote that Apple’s suggestion of submitting two separate Fortnite versions violates the company’s own guideline, according to which developers cannot submit multiple versions of a single app. It said, “That’s not the standard Apple holds other developers to, and it’s blocking us from releasing our update in the EU and US.”

Epic Games also pressed the question of the block in US app stores by putting forward a letter from Apple’s lawyer Mark A. Perry. “Apple has determined not to take action on the Fortnite app submission until after the Ninth Circuit rules on our pending request for a partial stay of the new injunction,” Perry wrote.

In its new filing Epic argues Apple is depriving it “of the ability to take advantage of the pro-competitive rules” and is “punishing” the company “by shutting it out of the very market it has fought so hard to open — while sending a clear message to other developers not to challenge Apple’s practices.”