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Fortnite is back on the iOS App Store

Epic Games' immensely popular title, Fortnite, has made its long-awaited return to the App Store for iPhone and iPad users in the United States. The game had been banned by Apple nearly five years ago, in August 2020.

Epic sued Apple for removing Fortnite, while the latter claimed it was the former who had breached App Store guidelines by using an alternative payment method to bypass Apple's In App Purchase system. The lawsuit dragged on for years, but Apple was forced to open up its App Store to accept third-party payment methods. Apple agreed, but still charged a commission fee for transactions that were completed on third party websites.

Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers had ordered Apple to stop charging the commission, after finding the company guilty of breaching an injunction. She told Apple to allow app developers to redirect users to alternate payment methods, where they may be cheaper to buy or subscribe. Epic Games celebrated the ruling by announcing that it had submitted Fortnite to the App Store in the U.S. with two payment options: Apple's own system, and an external payment option, but it turned out that Apple had blocked the submission worldwide. Epic claimed that Apple had even blocked the game on alternative app marketplaces in the European Union, though the company denied doing so.

Epic Games had enough of this pettiness, and sent a letter to Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers informing her about Apple's unfair behavior to block Fortnite, even though the game now complied with the rules. The judge warned Apple that its representative would be held personally responsible for ensuring compliance, and would have to appear in the court by May 27, if the matter had not been resolved between the two companies.

Apple has caved in, and allowed Fortnite to return to the App Store. Fans worldwide can once again download the game on their iPhone or iPad.

Source: 9to5Mac

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