Fortnite on iOS goes offline worldwide as Apple blocks U.S. App Store return

Macworld

The battle royale between Apple and Epic Games over Fortnite doesn’t appear to be ending anytime soon. 

After a judge ordered Apple to allow developers to link to external payment systems, Epic Games rushed to deliver Fortnite to the App Store after a five-year absence. Earlier this week, Epic CEO Tim Sweeney said the game was awaiting approval through the usual review process, and even submitted it a second time after Apple appeared to be dragging its feet. On Friday, Apple made its decision.

Epic Games’ Fortnite X account states that “Apple has blocked our Fortnite submission so we cannot release to the U.S. App Store or to the Epic Games Store for iOS in the European Union.” The company says Fortnite on iOS will be offline worldwide until Apple unblocks it.

In a statement, Apple refuted Epic’s stance but confirmed that the U.S. version had been denied approval: “We asked that Epic Sweden resubmit the app update without including the US storefront of the App Store so as not to impact Fortnite in other geographies. We did not take any action to remove the live version of Fortnite from alternative distribution marketplaces.”

The issue is far more complicated than the judge’s ruling. Back in 2020, Apple suspended Epic’s developer account in the U.S. after it broke Apple’s terms by offering a link to buy V-Bucks outside of the App Store. So Epic resubmitted Fortnite to the App Store this week using its EU account, which Apple apparently didn’t appreciate.

It’s not clear what the next phase of this battle will be. As it stands, Fortnite is unavailable on iOS devices anywhere in the world, including the EU, where it’s delivered directly through the Epic Games Store. Apple allows “alternative app stores” in the EU after a ruling there forced the company to allow so-called sideloading.

Sweeney says that since all Fortnite apps must update simultaneously, they will all remain offline until Apple resolves the situation. He’s also spent most of today posting and reposting comments about the situation that support Epic and blame Apple. So it seems unlikely either company will give in anytime soon.

Update 1:15PM ET: Apple has issued a statement refuting Epic’s version of events.