Key Highlights:
- Apple rejects Fortnite’s return to the App Store and Epic Games Store on iOS.
- Fortnite now unavailable on all iOS devices globally, including in the EU.
- Ongoing legal and procedural disputes reignite tension between Apple and Epic Games.
Fortnite has once again vanished from iPhones and iPads worldwide after Apple refused to approve its latest submission to the App Store.
The decision affects both US and European users, effectively reversing Epic Games’ previous efforts to bring the battle royale back via alternative storefronts.
Epic confirmed the block in a statement released on its official Fortnite X account:
“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.”
As a result, Fortnite is now offline on iOS across all territories.
In Europe, the game had been temporarily accessible through the Epic Games Store and AltStore PAL, following enforcement of the EU’s Digital Markets Act (DMA).
This legislation had forced Apple to allow third-party storefronts, giving Epic a legal path to return Fortnite to iOS without relying on Apple’s App Store. However, that pathway is now closed.
The exact reason behind the block remains unclear.
While Epic asserts that Apple rejected the submission, it’s uncertain whether the game’s removal from third-party stores was due to Apple’s intervention or Epic’s own decision.
Requests for clarification from both companies have yet to be answered.
Epic CEO Tim Sweeney stated that the company withdrew its initial Fortnite submission earlier this week and replaced it with an updated version. The move aimed to align all platforms for a simultaneous content update.
Though, he criticised Apple for delaying approval, citing internal interference.
“The app review process has been weaponized by senior management,” Sweeney said, also highlighting that unofficial Fortnite clones have been approved on the App Store in Fortnite’s absence.
This latest incident follows years of legal and commercial disputes between Apple and Epic. The conflict began in 2020 when Epic bypassed Apple’s in-app purchase system, resulting in Fortnite being delisted from the App Store and Epic’s US developer account terminated.
Although a recent US court ruling sided partially with Epic, ordering Apple to permit external payment links, the fallout continues.
With Fortnite now inaccessible to iOS users worldwide, the standoff shows no sign of ending.
Whether Apple will reverse course, or whether Epic pursues further legal action, remains to be seen. For now, iPhone and iPad users hoping to drop into the popular BR will have to wait.
GamesLatestNews has contacted Apple for further clarification.