Apple Inc. and Epic Games Inc. sparred over whether the iPhone maker was obstructing access to the hit game Fortnite, the latest tussle in a long-running feud over Apple’s control of game distribution revenue.
The game developer said that Apple “blocked” its latest Fortnite app submission so that it can’t be released in the U.S. or on the third-party Epic Games Store in the EU. “Now, sadly, Fortnite on iOS will be offline worldwide until Apple unblocks it,” the company wrote on its X account.
An Apple spokesperson responded later on Friday, saying that the company “did not take any action to remove the live version of Fortnite from alternative distribution marketplaces” in the EU. Apple said that it asked the game company’s European division, Epic Sweden, to “resubmit the app update without including the US storefront of the App Store so as not to impact Fortnite in other geographies.”
It’s the latest conflict in years of acrimony between the two companies. They have fought in court over Apple’s App Store policies, including the commissions it charges on in-app purchases — a key source of Epic Games revenue.
Epic Games said it submitted Fortnite to the U.S. App Store last week, aiming to return it to US iPhone users for the first time in three years. That move followed a judge ruling that Apple must allow third-party apps to steer users to the web to complete in-app purchases without taking a commission. Apple didn’t comment on if it would allow Fortnite back into the U.S. store.
On Wednesday, Epic pulled its initial submission after not hearing back from Apple and resubmitted it with updated content to match the game on other platforms.
(Updated with Apple not commenting on if Fortnite will return to US App Store.)
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