Fortnite Returns to Apple App Store After Years-Long Legal Battle: What Changed?

After a nearly five-year hiatus marked by a fierce legal showdown, the popular video game Fortnite is once again available on Apple's App Store in the US. This monumental return follows a series of court rulings and policy shifts that have reshaped the landscape of app store commissions and developer autonomy. But what exactly led to this resolution, and what does it mean for the future of app distribution?

The saga began in 2020 when Epic Games, the developer of Fortnite, introduced its own in-app payment system, intentionally circumventing Apple's standard 30% commission on in-app purchases. This audacious move resulted in Apple swiftly removing Fortnite from the App Store, igniting a protracted legal battle. Epic Games argued that Apple was operating an illegal monopoly, while Apple maintained that its policies were in place to protect user security and ensure a consistent user experience.

The legal battle led to a series of court decisions. While a federal appeals court found in 2023 that Apple did not have a monopoly in mobile games, as Epic had argued, it did find that Apple had violated California’s Unfair Competition Law. The court ordered the company to allow apps with links and buttons for purchasing software and services outside the App Store. However, Apple responded by creating screens to discourage online purchases by making them appear dangerous and continued charging a commission for online purchases, according to court documents.

Last year, under pressure from European regulators, Apple allowed Epic to install Fortnite on iOS devices there through Epic’s own store.

According to a New York Times report, Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers called on Apple to reinstate Fortnite to the App Store or return to court to prove it had a legal basis for not doing so. The next day, Fortnite was back on iPhones and iPads in the United States, and Epic and Apple signed a joint statement to the court saying they had resolved that particular dispute.

Apple eventually conceded, introducing a new system that allows developers to link to alternative payment options, albeit while still imposing a 27% commission on in-app transactions executed outside its own system. Epic Games, however, remained steadfast, arguing that Apple's actions continued to flout the spirit of the court's order.

"Fortnite is BACK on the App Store in the U.S. on iPhones and iPads," declared the game's official account on X, signaling the end of the app's exile. According to the The Guardian, in a brief statement filed in court on Tuesday, Apple said the dispute that had been keeping Fortnite off its iOS software for the iPhone had been resolved.

Joost van Dreunen, a games business professor at NYU Stern, sees this as a significant shift in the industry, stating, "This is a clear win for Epic Games. Epic has effectively forced open a door that Apple and others worked very hard to keep shut."

The return of Fortnite raises important questions. Will other developers follow Epic's lead in challenging app store commissions? How will Apple balance its desire to control its ecosystem with the demands of a more open and competitive market?

What are your thoughts on this significant development? Share your opinions in the comments below!

• Apple App Store
• Epic Games
• Fortnite

Related issues news

When was Fortnite removed from the App Store?

The title was removed in August 2020 for violating Apple's policies by launching its own in-app payment system. This would have bypassed a 30% commission that the technology giant charges on all in-app purchases.

Is Fortnite on Apple?

Apple restored the popular game Fortnite to the App Store in the United States on Tuesday, nearly five years after it was kicked out of the store and its developer sued the tech giant in an antitrust case.

How did Fortnite get back on the App Store?

Fortnite's return to Apple's iOS systems in the U.S. follows an April 30 ruling by a federal judge saying that Apple violated a U.S. court order that required the company to allow greater competition for app downloads and payment methods in its App Store.

Did Apple ban Fortnite?

Apple banned Fortnite from its store in 2020 but allowed the game back last year following pressure from European Union authorities for Big Tech companies to comply with the bloc's Digital Markets Act. Last year, it also approved Epic Games' marketplace app on iPhones and iPads in Europe.

X talks about this news