Fortnite is officially returning to the iOS App Store in the United States next week, marking a historic victory for Epic Games in its long-standing legal battle against Apple.
The game’s return comes nearly four and a half years after it was pulled from the App Store for introducing a direct payment system that bypassed Apple’s 30% commission – an act that triggered one of the most high-profile antitrust lawsuits in tech history. Now, thanks to a new ruling from Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers, Apple has been found in willful violation of a previous court order and must immediately update its App Store policies to allow developers to link users to alternative payment systems without interference or additional commissions.
The dispute began in August 2020, when Epic Games added a direct payment method in Fortnite to sidestep Apple’s so-called “Apple Tax.” Apple quickly responded by removing Fortnite from the App Store, leading Epic to sue Apple and launch a public campaign against its App Store practices.
In 2021, the court ruled that Apple could not prohibit developers from directing users to external payment methods. However, despite the injunction, Apple implemented alternative mechanisms such as a 27% commission on revenue generated through external links and placed restrictions on how developers could display or promote these options. This led Epic to return to court in 2025, where the same judge ruled that Apple’s actions were anticompetitive and a blatant breach of the 2021 order.
Judge Rogers did not mince words in her latest decision, calling Apple’s conduct a “willful violation” of the court’s instructions. She added that Apple’s continued attempts to obstruct developer freedom and consumer choice would no longer be tolerated, emphasizing that the court’s order is an injunction, not a negotiation.
Effective immediately, Apple is prohibited from charging commissions on off-app purchases, from requiring developers to report revenue from third-party transactions, and from imposing restrictions on how developers present external payment options within their apps. This landmark decision aligns with similar regulatory efforts in Europe under the Digital Markets Act, signaling a broader global shift against platform monopolies.
Following the ruling, Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney took to X (formerly Twitter) to celebrate the court’s decision and confirm that Fortnite will finally be back on iOS in the US next week. He declared the end of Apple’s “junk fees” and proposed a truce, offering to drop all current and future litigation if Apple extends the ruling’s tax-free framework to developers worldwide. While Apple has announced plans to appeal, the likelihood of overturning the decision appears slim, especially after a company executive was found to have misled the court during proceedings.
This victory not only paves the way for Fortnite’s return but also reshapes the App Store ecosystem for all developers, ensuring they can communicate directly with users and provide alternate ways to pay without Apple siphoning off a portion.
With this development, Epic Games has succeeded in striking a significant blow to Apple’s longstanding control over digital payments on its platform. The implications will be felt far beyond just Fortnite, as developers of all kinds now gain a fairer playing field to compete and innovate.
