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

The ongoing dispute between Epic Games and Apple over Fortnite's availability on iOS devices has escalated once again. Epic has accused Apple of blocking its latest Fortnite submission, preventing the game from being released on the U.S. App Store. This move comes after Epic's CEO, Tim Sweeney, announced earlier this month that Fortnite would soon return to iOS devices 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 mandated that Apple allow developers to offer alternative payment methods outside their apps. Despite this ruling, Epic's efforts to bring Fortnite back to iOS have been thwarted.

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 reported on Sweeney's substantial financial commitment to this battle, with billions spent to challenge the app store practices of Apple and Google. Sweeney views this as a long-term investment in Epic and Fortnite's future, confident that Epic can sustain the fight for decades.

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

Following Sweeney's recent announcement, expectations were high for Fortnite's return to iOS. However, 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."

This development is a significant setback for Epic, which has already lost billions in revenue since Fortnite was removed from iPhones five years ago. In response, Sweeney has taken to Twitter to appeal directly to Apple's CEO, Tim Cook, with a simple request: "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 ruling, Apple was referred to federal prosecutors for violating the court order. U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers emphasized that "Apple’s continued attempts to interfere with competition will not be tolerated," and described the injunction as non-negotiable. The judge also referred Apple and its vice president of finance, Alex Roman, to federal prosecutors for a criminal contempt investigation, citing misleading testimony about Apple's compliance efforts.

In response to the ruling, 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, further complicating the situation.