Epic Claims Apple Blocks Fortnite's U.S. App Store Return, Sweeney Tweets Cook

Epic Games' ongoing battle with Apple over the fate of Fortnite on iOS devices has escalated, with Epic accusing Apple of blocking its latest Fortnite submission. This move allegedly prevents Epic from releasing the game to the U.S. App Store and the Epic Games Store for iOS in the European Union.

Earlier this month, Epic's CEO Tim Sweeney announced that Fortnite would soon return to the U.S. iOS App Store 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, which mandated that Apple allow developers to provide alternative payment options outside their apps.

Epic's Tim Sweeney is determined to defeat Apple and Google, no matter how long it takes. Photo by SeongJoon Cho/Bloomberg. In January, IGN highlighted how Sweeney had invested billions in challenging Apple and Google's app store policies. Sweeney viewed this as a long-term investment in Epic and Fortnite’s future, confident that Epic could sustain the battle for decades.

Sweeney's fight to bring Fortnite back to iPhones and Android devices, while avoiding the standard 30% store fees, has been extensively documented. Epic prefers to distribute Fortnite through its own Epic Games Store, bypassing Apple and Google's fees. This dispute led to Fortnite's removal from iOS back in 2020.

Despite Sweeney's recent tweet suggesting Fortnite's imminent return to iOS, Epic has yet to see any progress. In a statement to IGN, Epic revealed, "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 ruling, Apple was referred to federal prosecutors for violating the U.S. court order. U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers emphasized, "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."

The Judge also referred Apple and its Vice President of Finance, Alex Roman, to federal prosecutors for a criminal contempt investigation, citing Roman's misleading testimony about Apple's compliance with the injunction.

In response, Apple stated, "we strongly disagree with the decision. We will comply with the court’s order and we will appeal." Last week, Apple sought a pause on the ruling from the U.S. appeals court in the Epic Games case.