Epic Games said it submitted Fortnite to the US App Store last week.
Apple is yet to disclose if it would allow Fortnite back into the US store
Photo Credit: Reuters
Epic Games asked a court to force Apple to approve access to the hit game Fortnite in the US App Store, the latest tussle in a long-running feud over Apple's control of game distribution revenue.
The game developer earlier said that Apple “blocked” its latest Fortnite app submission so that it can't be released in the US or on the third-party Epic Games Store in the EU. “Now, sadly, Fortnite on iOS will be offline worldwide until Apple unblocks it,” according to a post on its X account.
An Apple spokesperson responded later on Friday to the X post, 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 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 US 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 US store.
“Apple's refusal to consider Epic's Fortnite submission is Apple's latest attempt to circumvent” the injunction and the court's authority, Epic said in the court filing. “Epic therefore seeks an order enforcing the Injunction, finding Apple in civil contempt yet again, and requiring Apple to promptly accept any compliant Epic app, including Fortnite, for distribution on the US storefront of the App 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.
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