Epic Games wins its battle royale against Apple in Fortnite lawsuit

Four years, four months, and 17 days. That’s how long ago Epic Games declared war on Apple following the removal of Fortnite from the App Store. Well, at long last, the court case is at its conclusion in the US, and it’s a resounding victory for Epic, as it successfully defies “the App Store Monopoly.”

Fortnite remained absent from all cellular devices, including the best gaming phones, for nearly four years before the arrival of the Epic Games Store on Android and iPhones in the European Union put an end to that. Finally, with the lawsuit’s conclusion, Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney confirms on X that the company “will return Fortnite to the US iOS App Store next week.”

The official court documents state that “the Court FINDS Apple in willful violation of this Court’s 2021 Injunction, which was issued to restrain and prohibit Apple’s anticompetitive conduct and anticompetitive pricing. Apple’s continued attempts to interfere with competition will not be tolerated.” The order then goes on to explain that “In stark contrast to Apple’s initial in-court testimony, contemporaneous business documents reveal that Apple knew exactly what it was doing and at every turn chose the most anticompetitive option.”

If you’re not familiar with one of the most famous lawsuits in the history of videogames, Epic circumvented Apple’s App Store policy by offering direct payments through Fortnite, essentially ridding Apple of any share in the sale. Unsurprisingly, the American tech behemoth took great exception to this, removing Fortnite from its storefront with immediate effect, thus preventing millions of players worldwide from playing the battle royale game on their iPhones.

It’s not just Apple that went to war with Epic; Google also took a similar stance, removing Fortnite from Google Play, effectively removing its presence on Android devices. Epic won its case against Google in 2023, with the effects of the jury’s verdict coming into play the following year when a US judge mandated an overhaul of Google’s mobile storefront.

The battle was long, but Epic Games stands tall, following numerous court appearances over the last four years, with the court ultimately seeing through Apple’s “obvious cover-up.” If you can’t wait to play Fortnite on iPhones once more, make sure you check out our list of the best Fortnite skins to dress yourself for the occasion.