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

Epic Games' ongoing feud with Apple over Fortnite's availability on iOS devices has escalated once again. Epic has accused Apple of thwarting its efforts to relaunch Fortnite on the U.S. App Store, claiming that Apple is blocking the game's submission.

Following a significant court ruling earlier this month, Epic's CEO, Tim Sweeney, had announced that Fortnite would soon return to the U.S. iOS App Store. This optimism stemmed from a U.S. Federal District Court ruling on April 30, which found Apple in violation of a court order from the Epic Games v. Apple case. The order mandated that Apple allow developers to offer alternative payment methods outside their apps.

Epic's Tim Sweeney remains steadfast in his mission to challenge Apple and Google, vowing to continue the fight for as long as it takes. Photo by SeongJoon Cho/Bloomberg. In January, IGN highlighted Sweeney's substantial financial commitment to this battle, noting that he had spent billions fighting Apple and Google over their app store policies. Sweeney views this as a crucial investment in Epic and Fortnite's future, confident that Epic can sustain the legal battle for decades.

The core of the dispute lies in Epic's refusal to pay the standard 30% store fees imposed by Apple and Google on mobile game revenue. Epic aims to bypass these fees by distributing Fortnite through its own Epic Games Store on mobile devices. This conflict led to Fortnite's removal from iOS back in 2020.

Despite Sweeney's recent announcement, Fortnite has yet to return to iOS. Epic has now updated IGN, stating, "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."

This development is a significant setback for Epic, which has lost billions in potential revenue since Fortnite was removed from iPhones five years ago. In a direct appeal, Sweeney has taken to Twitter to urge Apple's CEO, Tim Cook, to reconsider.

"Hi Tim. How about if you let our mutual customers access Fortnite? Just a thought."

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 faced further legal repercussions. U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers criticized Apple's actions, stating, "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 referred Apple and its vice president of finance, Alex Roman, to federal prosecutors for a criminal contempt investigation due to misleading testimony about compliance with her injunction.

In response, Apple expressed disagreement with the ruling but affirmed its intention to comply and appeal. Last week, Apple requested a pause on the ruling from the U.S. appeals court in the Epic Games case.