Story Highlights
- Fortnite returns to iOS in the US after major court ruling.
- Court finds Apple in contempt for violating 2021 injunction on anticompetitive practices.
- Epic Games Store and Fortnite also previously confirmed for iOS launch in UK and Japan in 2025.
In a significant victory for Epic Games, their battle royale game Fortnite will be back on the U.S. Apple App Store starting next week in May 2025, marking an end to their ongoing dispute.
After approximately four and a half years of ongoing legal arguments, Epic Games has managed to secure a major triumph over Apple in their protracted antitrust battle.
Tim Sweeney declares end of “Apple Tax” as court rules against App Store fees
Tim Sweeney, the CEO of Epic Games, expressed his joy on Twitter, saying that a court in the Northern District of California found Apple guilty of violating a 2021 order.
The fees for web transactions on Apple devices are now zero in the United States, just like they are in Europe under the Digital Markets Act. These charges were illegal here and illegal there. The ban has been in effect for around 4 years, 4 months, and 17 days.
Game over for the so-called “Apple Tax”!
— Tim Sweeney (@TimSweeneyEpic) April 30, 2025
There will be no charges for online transactions, effectively ending the ‘Apple Tax,’ according to Sweeney’s post on X. This follows the ruling that Apple’s 15-30% fee on in-app purchases is now considered illegal in the U.S., much like it has been under the Digital Markets Act in Europe.
The court determined that Apple deliberately breached the 2021 order, a ruling made to check Apple’s competitive practices, particularly its limitations on guiding users towards other payment methods.
As per the decision, Apple persisted in impeding fair competition, even when explicitly advised against it. This type of behavior is considered intolerable.
In addition to the US, Epic Games has earlier declared that their platform, the Epic Games Store, as well as Fortnite, would become accessible in the UK and Japan on iOS devices by the second half of 2025.
The conflict started back in August 2020 as Fortnite was removed from both the App Store and Google Play Store. Regarding the latter, it reappeared when the Epic Games Store went live in August 2024.
The game is expected to be released some time between May 5th and May 11th; however, an exact date hasn’t been provided yet.
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2025-05-01 09:11