Epic Claims Apple Bars Fortnite from U.S. App Store, Sweeney Tweets Cook in Protest

Epic's ongoing battle with Apple over Fortnite's availability on iOS devices has escalated, with Epic accusing Apple of blocking its Fortnite submission, preventing the game from being released on the U.S. App Store.

Earlier this month, Epic's CEO Tim Sweeney announced that Fortnite would return to the U.S. iOS App Store and iPhones soon, following a significant court ruling. On April 30, a U.S. Federal District Court in California ruled that Apple had willfully violated a court order in the Epic Games v. Apple case. This order required Apple to allow developers to offer alternative purchasing methods outside of their apps.

Epic's Tim Sweeney is determined to defeat Apple and Google, no matter how long it takes. Photo by SeongJoon Cho/Bloomberg. In January, IGN reported on Sweeney's substantial financial commitment to challenging Apple and Google's app store policies. Sweeney described this as a long-term investment in Epic and Fortnite's future, emphasizing that Epic could sustain this fight for decades.

Sweeney's battle to reinstate Fortnite on iOS and Android devices, while avoiding the standard 30% store fees, is well-documented. Epic prefers to operate Fortnite through its own Epic Games Store on mobile, bypassing Apple and Google's fees. This conflict led to Fortnite being blocked from iOS in 2020.

Following Sweeney's announcement, expectations were high for Fortnite's return to iOS, but no progress has been made. Epic recently updated IGN, stating:

"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."

“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 ruling, Apple faced referral to federal prosecutors for violating the court order. U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers emphasized the seriousness of Apple's actions, stating, "Apple’s continued attempts to interfere with competition will not be tolerated. This is an injunction, not a negotiation. There are no do-overs once a party willfully disregards a court order."

The Judge also referred Apple and its vice president of finance, Alex Roman, to federal prosecutors for a criminal contempt investigation due to misleading testimony about Apple's compliance with her injunction. In response, 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 in the Epic Games case.