Fortnite to return to iOS in the US next week after Apple violated court order

Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney has announced that Fortnite is coming back to the Apple App Store.

There’s a new development in the Apple versus Epic Games legal battle, and this time, it’s not in Apple’s favour. The company has been found in violation of a 2021 injunction aimed at limiting its control over the App Store and, more broadly, restraining its anticompetitive behaviour and pricing practices.

Fortnite is coming back to App Store in the US. (Epic Games)

By Shaurya Sharma

Shaurya Sharma is the Technology Editor at Hindustan Times Digital Streams, where he oversees technology coverage across digital and social platforms. With over eight years of experience across editorial, video production, and digital media, his work focuses on smartphones, AI, consumer gadgets, and shaping audience-first content strategies for modern tech consumers.

He began his career in 2018 as a fashion cinematographer before turning his lifelong passion for technology into a profession. From spending his childhood immersed in tech magazines, video games, and the latest gadgets to covering the global consumer tech industry today, technology has remained a constant throughout his journey.

Over the years, Shaurya has worked with some of India’s leading media organisations, including CNN-News18, Sportskeeda, and Guiding Tech, where he led video initiatives that combined strong editorial storytelling with engaging visual and social-first execution.

A graduate in Journalism and Mass Communication from Manipal University, Shaurya has reviewed hundreds of products across categories including smartphones, laptops, gaming consoles, cameras, and wearables. Beyond work, he is passionate about animal welfare, environmental causes, and automobiles, particularly turbo-petrol cars

Read moreRead less

Apple will now not be allowed to collect any fees whatsoever, which revolves around purchases made outside of the App Store. “Apple's continued attempts to interfere with competition will not be tolerated,” Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers ruled.

Following up to this, Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney announced that Fortnite will be returning to the iOS App Store next week. Sweeney also made further comments and offered a middle ground to Apple, if it meets certain conditions.

Here’s what Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney said

Taking it to X (formerly Twitter), Tim Sweeney posted, “NO FEES on web transactions. Game over for the Apple Tax. Apple’s 15-30% junk fees are now just as dead here in the United States of America as they are in Europe under the Digital Markets Act. Unlawful here, unlawful there. 4 years 4 months 17 days.”

Sweeney further said that Fortnite will be returning to the US iOS App Store starting as soon as next week. And at the same time, Sweeney also mentioned that they can strike a peace proposal if Apple agrees to the “court's friction-free, Apple-tax-free framework worldwide.” Sweeney says, in this case, Epic will list Fortnite to the App Store worldwide and drop all “current and future litigation on the topic.”

Fortnite to make a return after 4 long years

Epic Games subsequently filed a lawsuit against Apple, but in 2021, the court ruled in Apple’s favour, and the game remained banned from the App Store. However, the situation with Google unfolded differently, as the company was found to hold a monopoly.

It remains to be seen how Apple will respond, but in recent statements, including one made to 9to5Mac, the company has indicated its intention to challenge the decision through an appeal. “We strongly disagree with the decision. We will comply with the court’s order and we will appeal,” an Apple spokesperson told the publication.

MOBILE FINDER: iPhone 16 LATEST Price, Specs And More