Epic Claims Apple Bars Fortnite from U.S. App Store, Sweeney Tweets Cook in Protest

Epic Games' ongoing legal battle with Apple over the future of Fortnite on iOS devices has escalated, with Epic accusing Apple of blocking its Fortnite submission, preventing the game's release on the U.S. App Store.

Earlier this month, Epic 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 wilfully violated a court order in the Epic Games v. Apple case. The order required Apple to allow developers to offer alternative in-app purchase methods.

Epic's Tim Sweeney remains steadfast in his mission to challenge Apple and Google, vowing to continue the fight for as long as necessary. Photo by SeongJoon Cho/Bloomberg. In January, IGN reported on Sweeney's substantial financial commitment to this cause, having spent billions fighting Apple and Google over their app store practices. Sweeney views this as a crucial long-term investment in Epic and Fortnite's future, confident in the company's ability to sustain this battle for decades.

The core of the dispute lies in Epic's refusal to pay the standard 30% store fees on mobile game revenue. Instead, Epic aims to distribute Fortnite through its own Epic Games Store, bypassing Apple and Google's fees. This disagreement led to Fortnite's exclusion from iOS back in 2020.

Despite Sweeney's recent tweet suggesting an imminent return of Fortnite to iOS, the game remains unavailable. Epic has now stated to IGN that "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's decision, 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 due to 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 requested a pause on the ruling from the U.S. appeals court.