As their legal spat rumbles on, Epic Games has said Apple has “blocked” ‘Fortnite’ on iOS on both the App Store and the Epic Games Store.
Epic Games has said ‘Fortnite’ on iOS has been “blocked” by Apple.
Following the developer’s legal battle with the Cupertino-based tech company over App Store revenue, ‘Fortnite’ had returned to iPhone and iPad in the European Union through the Epic Games Store, but Epic has now said Apple has pulled the plug on the title for its platform.
In a statement published on X (formerly Twitter), the official ‘Fortnite’ account wrote: “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 comes after Epic was forced to remove and then resubmit its application for ‘Fortnite’ on iOS after Apple failed to approve it.
Apple and Epic have been locked in a legal spat over the App Store’s 30 per cent in-app purchase system, though a recent ruling from a U.S. judge lambasted Apple for unjustly delaying and obscuring its previously mandated obligation to provide a fair alternative payment option.
During a recent injunction, Apple had been told to allow purchases from third-party platforms, such as the Epic Games Store, on iOS, to which the company agreed to – though Apple imposed a 27 per cent fee for doing so.
The U.S. court said the move “strains credulity”, and called it an “obvious cover-up” from Apple that is designed to continue the company’s “anticompetitive conduct solely to maintain its revenue stream”.
Fortnite on iOS ‘blocked’ by Apple, says Epic Games
