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In a landmark move, Apple has reinstated Fortnite to the U.S. App Store, ending a five-year standoff that began with a contentious dispute over in-app payment policies. The approval, granted on Tuesday, follows mounting legal and public pressure on the tech giant, as courts scrutinized its App Store practices.
Fortnite was originally removed in August 2020 after Epic Games introduced a direct payment system, bypassing Apple's commission fees of up to 30%. The move violated Apple's strict App Store guidelines and triggered a legal saga that questioned the boundaries of platform control and developer autonomy.
On May 9, Epic submitted Fortnite for re-approval. But Apple stalled the process for over a week. By May 20, federal judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers demanded Apple explain the delay or resolve the issue with Epic. The judicial nudge worked. Within 24 hours, Fortnite was back online for U.S. iOS users.
"This was a hard-fought win that carried a very steep price and may be too late to boost its Fortnite game that is now past its prime," said Gil Luria, an analyst at D.A. Davidson. At the height of its popularity, Fortnite boasted 116 million users on Apple devices alone.
In April, the courts ruled that Apple could no longer charge commissions or dictate the appearance of payment links when apps route users to external payment systems. Epic hailed this as a victory not only for itself but for app developers broadly. "We back fam," Epic CEO Tim Sweeney wrote on X after the app's reinstatement.
Analysts believe the ruling could alter Apple's ecosystem dramatically. "This opens the door for subscription apps like Spotify and Netflix to claw back margin," noted Michael Ashley Schulman of Running Point Capital Advisors. "It may reshape iOS economics over the next 12 to 18 months."
Apple, however, is not backing down quietly. It is appealing the court order and seeking a stay to revert recent App Store changes. Apple's Services division, which includes the App Store, earned nearly $27 billion in the March quarter, underscoring what's at stake.
While Fortnite's U.S. return is now confirmed, its European availability has been live for months through third-party stores under the EU's Digital Markets Act. The broader implications of this saga will continue to ripple through tech policy and developer rights long after the game has reloaded.
