Epic Accuses Apple of Blocking Fortnite's U.S. App Store Return; Sweeney Tweets Cook in Protest

Epic Games' ongoing legal battle with Apple over Fortnite's availability on iOS devices has escalated, with Epic claiming that Apple is preventing the game's return to the U.S. App Store. This conflict stems from a broader dispute regarding the 30% store fees that Epic wishes to bypass by utilizing its own Epic Games Store on mobile platforms.

Earlier this month, Epic CEO Tim Sweeney announced that Fortnite would soon be back on U.S. iOS devices following a significant court ruling. 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. This order was meant to allow developers to offer alternative payment methods outside of the app.

Epic's Tim Sweeney remains steadfast in his mission to challenge Apple and Google, investing billions in this fight. Photo by SeongJoon Cho/Bloomberg. In January, IGN highlighted Sweeney's commitment, noting his belief that this is a crucial investment in Epic and Fortnite's future, one he's prepared to sustain for decades.

Despite expectations following Sweeney's announcement, Fortnite has not returned to iOS devices. Epic recently updated IGN, stating, "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."

Hi Tim. How about if you let our mutual customers access Fortnite? Just a thought.

— Tim Sweeney (@TimSweeneyEpic) May 15, 2025

Following the court's ruling, Apple faced further scrutiny when U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers referred Apple and one of its executives, Alex Roman, to federal prosecutors for a criminal contempt investigation. The judge criticized Apple's compliance efforts, stating, "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."

In response, Apple expressed its disagreement with the decision but affirmed its intention to comply and appeal. Last week, Apple sought a pause on the ruling from the U.S. appeals court in the Epic Games case.