Epic Games v. Apple: the fight for the future of the App Store – The Verge

Tim Sweeney on the future of Fortnite after another win over Apple

2025-12-15T12:04:03-05:00

Shortly after appeals court judges ruled against Apple's contempt appeal in a years-long antitrust dispute against the makers of Fortnite, I got to talk to Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney in an interview. According to Sweeney, today's ruling "completely shuts down" Apple's App Store rules that allow it to collect "junk fees."

The three-judge Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals panel largely affirmed an April ruling that Apple failed to comply with Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers's 2021 order allowing app developers to link to external payment options, which Sweeney said "… is really awesome for all developers."

Perhaps the most notable part of the app …

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Epic says Fortnite is coming back to iOS in Australia

2025-08-12T05:16:22-04:00

Epic Games has announced that it's bringing Fortnite back to iOS in Australia, after the country's federal court ruled that Apple and Google's app marketplaces are anticompetitive. Epic CEO Tim Sweeney said on X that Fortnite will be made available on iPhones via the Epic Games Store "at a date to be determined," while the company navigates the complexities of Australia's antitrust ruling.

Epic sued Google in Australia in March 2021, after suing Apple in November 2020. A single court is handling both cases in parallel, even though they weren't filed at the same time.

On Tuesday, federal judge Jonathan Beach found that Apple and Google mis …

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Fortnite is finally back on US iPhones

2025-05-20T19:32:25-04:00

Fortnite is once again available on the iOS App Store in the US, according to Epic Games. You can get it from the App Store here. Epic says it has returned to the Epic Games Store and AltStore as well.

Apple kicked Fortnite off the App Store nearly five years ago after Epic Games added its own in-app payment system to the game, which violated Apple's rules. But after a major court ruling in Epic Games v. Apple that forced Apple to not take fees from purchases made outside of apps, the game is available to play on US iPhones once again.

we back fam https://t.co/X14bCXoylB
- Tim Sweeney (@TimSweeneyEpic) May 20, 2025

Shortly after the big …

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Epic asks judge to make Apple let Fortnite back on the US App Store

2025-05-17T11:11:05-04:00

Epic CEO Tim Sweeney. | Image: Cath Virginia / The Verge

Epic is asking District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers to order Apple to review - and approve if compliant with Apple's guidelines - Epic's submission of Fortnite to the US App Store in a new court filing. The company argues in the document that Apple is once again in contempt of the judge's April order restricting it from rejecting apps over their use of outside payment links.

In a letter from Apple that Epic shared late Friday, Apple writes that it won't "take action on the Fortnite app submission until after the Ninth Circuit rules on our pending request for a partial stay of the new injunction." Epic claims the delay is retaliation for it …

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Fortnite isn’t available on iOS right now, but why?

2025-05-16T14:29:07-04:00

Fortnite is no longer available from the iOS Epic Games Store in the EU.

Fortnite maker Epic Games has announced that Apple has blocked the game's return to iOS. Following the rejection, Fortnite is no longer available on iPhones and iPads even in the European Union, where it had previously been available to download through the Epic Games Store.

"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," the company posted on the official Fortnite X account. "Now, sadly, Fortnite on iOS will be offline worldwide until Apple unblocks it."

The Verge has confirmed that the game is no longer available to download on iOS from the Epi …

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Tim Sweeney is mocking Apple for letting Fortnite fakes into the App Store

2025-05-15T18:53:25-04:00

Epic Games has been waiting for Apple to approve Fortnite for the US iOS App Store for nearly a week, and now Epic CEO Tim Sweeney is using X to try and put pressure on Apple. On Thursday, he highlighted examples of Fortnite lookalikes that are currently on the App Store and made a direct appeal to Apple CEO Tim Cook.

In one post, Sweeney included screenshots of the App Store listing for a game called Fort Battle Royale Epic Shoot. A screenshot in the app listing shows a game with Fortnite-inspired graphics, but it's clear if you look closely that it isn't the real Fortnite. "Hey @AppStore can we get the real Fortnite up pls?" Sweeney asked …

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Apple asks court to halt App Store rule changes while it appeals

2025-05-08T13:30:08-04:00

Apple asked a judge to halt an order forcing it to give up control over App Store payments while it appeals the decision. In a filing on Wednesday, Apple says the order contains "extraordinary intrusions" that could result in "grave irreparable harm" to the company.

Last week, California District Court Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers found that Apple was in "willful violation" of a 2021 injunction issued as part of the Epic Games v. Apple case. As a result, the judge ordered Apple to stop collecting an up to 27 percent commission on purchases made outside the App Store, and said the company can no longer restrict how developers point users tow …

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Epic will use an EU account to bring Fortnite back to the US App Store

2025-05-05T17:47:27-04:00

Epic Games plans to use its Sweden developer account to submit Fortnite to Apple's US iOS App Store, according to CEO Tim Sweeney.

On Wednesday, following the major ruling in Epic Games v. Apple that blocked Apple from collecting fees on purchases outside of apps, Sweeney said that Fortnite would return to the US App Store "next week." (Apple has appealed the ruling.) But Apple terminated Epic's App Store developer account in 2020 after Epic introduced an in-app payment system into Fortnite that ultimately led to the whole legal battle, so it was unclear how Epic might bring the game back to the US App Store until Sweeney's post.

"We have …

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Apple files appeal to wrest back control of its App Store

2025-05-05T10:31:57-04:00

After a stinging rebuke in the lower courts over its legal battle with Epic, Apple filed a notice of appeal to the Ninth Circuit on Monday. The appeal will challenge last week's ruling that prevents the company from charging developers fees on purchases made outside the App Store.

In 2021, the Epic v. Apple lawsuit resulted in a court order enjoining Apple from anti-steering activities - that is, hindering developers from telling users to make purchases outside of the app. The case was revived last year when Epic Games alleged that Apple had violated that court order.

Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers not only agreed with Epic Games but also f …

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Spotify’s iPhone app now lets you pay how you want

2025-05-02T08:56:59-04:00

Apple has approved an update to Spotify's iPhone app that makes it the first major app to support direct links for US users to pay for plans on an external site, without restrictions. Apple has been forced to change its rules on external payments following an order in its ongoing case against Epic Games. The updated app, version 9.0.40, is rolling out now on the App Store.

"In a victory for consumers, artists, creators, and authors, Apple has approved Spotify's U.S. app update," Spotify spokesperson Jeanne Moran told The Verge. "After nearly a decade, this will finally allow us to freely show clear pricing information and links to purchase, …

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