Gamers woke up to find Fortnite unavailable on Apple's iPhones in the European Union and the United States on Friday, as Epic Games and Apple clash over app distribution rules.
Epic Games said access to its flagship battle royale title would remain blocked on iOS worldwide until Apple lifts the restriction. The dispute follows a long-running legal battle over Apple's 30% commission on in-app payments, which Epic challenged under U.S. antitrust laws in 2020.
Apple told Epic Sweden to resubmit the latest Fortnite update without the U.S. storefront, a move aimed at isolating the issue from other markets. "We did not take any action to remove the live version of Fortnite from alternative distribution marketplaces," an Apple spokesperson added.
Since its launch in 2017, Fortnite's last-player-standing format has drawn more than 350 million players globally, redefining free-to-play economics for the gaming industry. Backed by China's Tencent, Epic has become the world's largest game studio and a vocal critic of Big Tech platform rules.
Late Friday, Epic asked a California judge to hold Apple in contempt for not fully restoring Fortnite on the App Store, citing a prior court ruling that mandated side-loading and alternative payment options. Epic's filing described Apple's action as "blatant retaliation" for exposing what it calls anticompetitive behavior.
The disruption on iPhone follows last year's EU Digital Markets Act push, which forced Apple to open its platform in Europe. Apple reinstated Fortnite and even approved Epic's competing marketplace on iOS devices in Europe, but the U.S. storefront remains offline.
As both sides gear up for more legal showdowns, gamers and developers worldwide are watching closely. The outcome could reshape how digital marketplaces operate, influencing app store policies from Seoul to Silicon Valley.
Reference(s):
cgtn.com
